Blind Date
by Ms.K.Everdeen
Summary: Katniss and Peeta are rival co-workers that are looking for love, but definitely not with each other! That is unless a chance connection on a premiere dating website can change their plans.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey again everyone! I'm back with my latest story. I hope you enjoy. I've written quite a bit ahead, but it is still a work in progress. I appreciate you taking the time to read and review my work. Happy reading :)

* * *

As her fingers settled above the keyboard, she let out a sigh and relented; typing "blind date" into the navigation bar. Pressing the enter key with purpose, she was taken in an instant to the website that would guarantee her a great date (or she got her $19.99 back for signing up).

"Ok, here goes nothing." She muttered to herself. She peered over her cubicle ensuring there were no prying eyes nearby. Feeling convinced, she began the basics of creating a profile.

Username: Kat_gurl

No, no, no. That was all wrong. Surely with a name like that most men would assume she's some crazy old cat lady. She promptly erased her idea, feeling daunted by the task.

Username: NatureLvr

Apparently, that was already taken.

Username: NatureLvr0508

Done. Next question. Age? That was easy, 3-0 she typed in. The next category, "Describe yourself," put her at a loss. She didn't think she was particularly interesting, at least enough to boast about on a dating website.

"Hey Everdeen, you get that presentation done yet?" A man's voice baited, catching her off guard. She slammed her laptop shut in a hurry, not wanting to be caught off task at work, and certainly not signing up to find love.

Katniss looked up with disdain in her eyes to meet those of Peeta Mellark. "What does it matter to you?" She remarked snidely.

"I just figured if we are both looking to land that account, I'd check in and see how things are going for you. Help you out if you need it since I'm already done." He replied with an air of superiority.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "No, thanks." She said simply and turned her attention to opening her computer again.

Peeta ignored her comment and made his way closer to her desk. "Do you mind?" She argued, clicking off the site and turning her chair to fully face him.

"Not at all." He replied with a smirk, folding his arms across his chest standing by.

"If you think for one second I'm going to lose that Crane account to you, you're sadly mistaken." Katniss remarked folding her arms to mirror him.

Peeta chuckled and gave a patronizing touch to her shoulder before making his way back to his own desk. Where did he get off acting like that, thinking he was something special? So what if he was roguishly handsome with his ashy blond hair and blue eyes? Not to mention his strong shoulders and nice smile. Katniss scoffed and rolled her eyes at her meandering thoughts. She knew Peeta saw her as a threat, even if he'd never admit it. He had been working at the firm for several years and made quite a name for himself in the advertising world. But Katniss was a force to be reckoned with too, gaining more and more opportunities as the years went on. She and Peeta had worked together for nearly five years, with each new day being an opportunity for Peeta to ensure that she knew he was the top dog. That was until their boss, Mr. Heavensbee, recently asked Katniss to put together a presentation for a new and highly sought after client, The Crane Corporation. Not one to be left out, Peeta fought to make his name on the account proposal too. Though, Katniss had put in many long hours on her presentation and felt confident in her ability to snag the account coming up in just three days time.

"Ok, let's get back to business." She whispered as she set her hands back to the keyboard.

Her friend, Johanna, had encouraged her to try the website claiming that being married to one's job was not an acceptable way to spend one's life. Since Katniss wasn't willing (or trusting) enough to let her friend set her up on a blind date, the internet was the next best option. The site allowed its users to get to know one another on a deeper level first (not wasting time with potentially bogus profile pictures, or false hopes), before allowing potential couples to take the next step. Filling out the rest of her profile proved to be rather time consuming, but in the end, she felt like she gave an accurate description of who she was and the kind of man she was looking for. Now all there was left to do was wait.

Xxxx

Peeta knocked on the front door as the sounds of children's footsteps and laughter seemed to approach quickly from behind it.

"Uncle Peeta!" A short, curly haired, blond boy stood gleaming up at him as the door swung open.

"Uncle Peeta!" A girl's voice echoed standing beside the boy.

"Hey, you two!" He smiled back, ruffling both of their hair.

"You guys, move! Let him in." A man's voice chastised, coming down the hall. Peeta looked up to see his friend, Finnick, moving toward them with a baby on his hip. Finnick motioned for the children to move as he greeted Peeta with a smile and invited him in. Peeta squeezed the cheeks of the baby Finnick held as he shut the door and they made their way to the kitchen.

"Hey, Annie." Peeta greeted Finnick's wife as she stood at the stove.

Annie turned with a smile. She rubbed a hand over her round belly as she reached to grab the child from her husband's arms. "How are you?" She inquired as she sat the small boy in his high chair. Peeta watched as Finnick moved to the cupboard to grab food for the baby, while Annie opened a drawer and handed Finnick a small spoon without a word. Peeta was always impressed with how flawlessly these two worked together.

"I'm ok. I have a big presentation coming up at work I'm a little nervous about." He confessed. Annie turned back to the stove, while Finnick watched the baby fist bits of food to his mouth.

"What are you nervous about?" Finnick inquired as he attempted to spoon a bite to his son's mouth. Just then the two older children ran into the kitchen making a loud ruckus. Annie turned from the stove and shot them both a look. They instantly quieted and left the room without a noise or protest.

"I'm not the only one vying for the account. I'm up against Katniss on this one." Peeta replied. He watched as Annie and Finnick exchanged a look. "What? What was that?" He asked.

"Huh?" Annie asked innocently.

"What was with that look you just gave each other when I said that? You don't think I can beat her for it?" He queried.

Finnick sighed, "Dude, will you just ask her out already? How long have you worked together, four-five years?" Finnick asked with a roll of his eyes. "I think it's time."

"I'm not asking her out!"

Peeta replied incredulously as he stood to make his way to the refrigerator. "Why would you even suggest that?" He continued as he reached in to retrieve a bottle of beer. As he turned, he noticed Finnick motion for him to hand him one too. Peeta obliged and returned to his seat at the kitchen island.

"Well, you're not getting any younger, Peeta." Annie began. "And you haven't dated anybody seriously in a long time, and you seem to talk about her quite a bit." She continued gently.

"If I do it's because she drives me crazy." Peeta replied taking a swig.

"Yeah, well this one drives me crazy too." Finnick teased as he stood to envelop Annie in a hug, planting several kisses along her neck.

"Yeah, maybe you two should take it easy on that." Peeta said with a smirk eyeing Annie's very pregnant belly, motioning toward it with his bottle.

Finnick rolled his eyes as he made his way back to the baby. "Is this one of those times where you want me to lie to protect your oh so delicate feelings?" He asked, taking a drink. Peeta gave him a tired look. "As your best friend, I think it's time you get your head out of your ass-"

"Language, Finnick!" Annie barked.

"Sorry, get your head out of your butt and start trying to find someone long term. The whole eternal bachelor thing isn't really cute anymore. Your last relationship was over a year ago? You can't spend your life married to your job!" Finnick finished.

"I thought you guys invited me over for dinner, not a lecture." Peeta mumbled.

"Oh, my friend Cressida was telling me about this new dating website." Annie started, then snapped her fingers trying to spark the memory of the name. "Blind-something-or-other..." she trailed off.

"Blind date?" Finnick offered, giving his wife a curious look.

"Yes, that's it!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I guess it's unique in that you don't post a profile picture or anything, and you just get to know a person first."

"What a novel idea." Peeta muttered before finishing off his beer.

"What could it hurt?" Annie asked as she pulled the pot from the stove. She gave him a knowing look, and all Peeta could do was shrug.

As Peeta made his way into his apartment later that night, his friends' words swirled around his head. He wondered if he could ever consider Katniss Everdeen as anything more than a colleague. Especially now that she was beginning to encroach on his carefully guarded territory at work. Truthfully, he was miffed that she had been offered the Crane account before him. Although if he was honest, outside of her annoying perfectionist behavior, she was very attractive with her steel gray eyes, dark hair and pouty lips. And for some reason, that he had yet to consider, he always seemed to find an excuse to visit her each day, even if it was just to give her a hard time. But he was pretty sure she hated him regardless, seeing as Peeta had never been particularly friendly to her.

He grabbed himself a beer from his refrigerator and plopped down on the couch, taking a swig. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the side, sitting in his undershirt and pants. So what if he wanted to devote most of his time to his work? He found it very rewarding. ' _But you can't cuddle with your job at night_ ', his heart reminded him in betrayal. He pulled his laptop onto his lap from the coffee table, giving a heavy sigh. With fingers poised over the keyboard, he finally relented typing "blind date" into the navigation bar.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, did you try that dating website I told you about?" Johanna asked as she and Katniss sat down to eat dinner at a local restaurant.

Katniss paused to consider her. "Yes, I did." She replied curtly.

"Good! Any potentials?" Johanna asked with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "I posted my profile just over 24 hours ago." She replied.

"So? There's plenty of desperate people in the world, one of them is bound to be crazy enough to like you." Her friend replied with a shrug. Katniss scoffed as the two looked through their menus.

"This whole thing is so crazy! What if I end up liking a guy who's a complete beast?" Katniss said peering over her menu.

"Well that's shallow!" Johanna chastised her. "I met Maverick through that site." She added as if that was supposed to make Katniss feel better. The pair had been hot and heavy to start, but eventually fizzled out. Although most of Johanna's relationships had been like that anyway.

"Johanna, you don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to relationships." Katniss pointed out.

"Well brainless, at least I'm getting out in the world. Meeting people, going places, doing things! What are you so busy doing?" Johanna shot back.

"I have my photography." Katniss replied meekly.

"Yeah, that's a great way to socialize...shooting pictures of flowers." Her friend replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought we could have a nice meal together, not a lecture about my personal life...or lack thereof." Katniss remarked, giving the other woman a look. She was grateful Johanna didn't mention anything more about the website, or her dating life for the remainder of dinner.

When Katniss got home later that evening, she peeled off her work clothes and cozied up in her favorite pajamas on the couch. As she flicked on the television she was distracted by a chiming sound coming from her nearby laptop. Curious, she pulled it to her lap. She was more than a little surprised to find that she had received several messages from potential men on the dating website:

Message from Hunter_Dude12: Hey! I'm a nature lover too! We should chat sometime. What's your favorite part about being outdoors?

Message from BigRed: Hello. I see you like photography. I'm an amateur photographer myself. What do you shoot with? Send me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

And a final message from MuffinM4n: Hi, NatureLvr0508! I'm intrigued by your profile. I'd like to know more about you. Please consider messaging me back. I'm new to this whole online dating thing, and I'm pretty clueless.

Katniss sat back on the couch. She held her face in her hands as she felt a smile ease its way onto her lips. This was definitely a first. She could never remember a time when three men were curious to know more about her. She wouldn't consider herself antisocial, but she wasn't a social butterfly either. She felt a bout of nerves as she responded back to BigRed's message.

From NatureLvr0508: Hi BigRed! I guess I'm sort of old school when it comes to my photography. I like to shoot with a Rolleicord twin lens. I'm a bit of a nerd and prefer to develop my own film. What about you?

She sat expectantly for a moment before she suddenly received a message back. She and BigRed chatted with one another for awhile until Katniss felt herself nodding off. His final message to her was to ask if she'd be interested in talking over the phone sometime soon. She remained silent on her end as she was, understandably, a little intimidated by the suggestion so early in their exchange. In the end, he left her his number and wished her goodnight. As she settled in to bed moments later, Katniss felt empowered knowing the ball was in her court, and that perhaps she could find success with this dating thing after all.

Xxx

When Peeta arrived to work the next morning, he sat down at his computer only to realize he had about eight different messages waiting for him on blinddate He looked around the office to be sure no one else was around yet to see him investigating:

Message from ShimmerGlimmer: Hey you! Liked your profile. Chat me back!

Message from L33g1: Hey, I really enjoy the fine art of baking too. Maybe we could chat sometime? Message me!

Message from Stylist2Stars: MuffinM4n, you seem sexy. Let's chat ;-)

Message from RedHead: Hello, I love art too! I work mostly with pencil. What's your favorite medium? Hit me back, let's chat!

Message from Tiny_Trinket: Hello, I don't mean to nag, but I noticed several spelling and grammatical errors in your profile. Please message me as soon as possible so we can discuss. I've got big, big, big plans for your profile to make it shine!

Message from slyfoxgirl5: I love cooking too! I particularly love experimenting with different berries and herbs in my dishes.

Message from Baria2: Hey MuffinM4n, you sound good enough to eat. Let's take a bite out of this relationship thing together!

Message from NatureLvr0508: Thanks for checking out my profile. I'm new to online dating too. I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but my friend says I can't date my job anymore, so...here I am! I'd love to chat more sometime.

This last one made Peeta laugh, especially thinking how true her words spoke to his own life and what his friends had lectured him about a couple of days ago.

Message to NatureLvr0508: I just got a lecture about dating my job too. What do you do for a living?

It was only a moment later when her reply came:

Message from NatureLvr0508: Good morning! I have a typical 9-5 office job (although most days are like 8-8). I love what I do though. I get to be creative. Never a dull moment in advertising :) You?

Peeta was excited to see they already had something in common.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Good morning! I'm in advertising too. It can be very exciting for sure. I see you like photography. How long have you been doing that?

Message from NatureLvr0508: My dad taught me how to shoot when I was very young. Like maybe seven or eight years old. It's so relaxing and fun. I see you like art too?

Message to NatureLvr0508: Wow! Most of your life? You must have quite a portfolio. I'd love to see it sometime. I'm into painting. I do a lot of drawing and computer design for work, so when I can get my hands on a paintbrush it's totally liberating...and relaxing like you said.

Message from NatureLvr0508: Sorry to cut this short, but I have a pretty big day ahead at work that I need to prep for. Hopefully we can chat later?

Message to NatureLvr0508: Definitely! I look forward to it.

Peeta smiled to himself thinking that went well. A buzz from his cell phone startled him.

" _Annie wanted me to ask if you signed up for that dating website_." Finnick's text read.

Peeta chuckled and replied, " _She's worried about that at eight o'clock in the AM?_ "

" _Kids = no sleep_ " Finnick replied.

" _You can tell her I did. Already started messaging with someone._ " Peeta reassured him.

" _She wants details._ " Finnick replied shortly after.

" _Tell her we can talk about it when I come for dinner tomorrow. Big presentation to prep. Wish me luck!_ " Peeta said.

" _Luck!_ " Finnick offered.

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck and pulled up his notes for his presentation. He had to be flawless. He had to wow them more than Katniss would. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt he had to beat her out for this. It's not like he didn't already have plenty of accounts under his belt. Perhaps it was personal, the fact that Heavensbee hadn't reached out to him first? Whatever it was, he wanted this account and would stop at nothing to get it.


	3. Chapter 3

Katniss took a deep breath as she pulled nervously at the end of her braid, twisting the bottom around her finger. "You got this." She whispered to herself before plastering a smile on her face and making her way into the conference room.

"There's our girl!" Plutarch's animated voice greeted her. "Seneca, this is Katniss Everdeen, one of our brightest and best!" He continued.

Katniss could feel herself blush from his accolades. She shook Seneca Crane's hand and gave him her best smile. They shared a bit of small talk before she began her presentation. Judging by the men's body language and facial expressions, they seemed pleased and borderline impressed. She thanked them both for their time and consideration and made her way from the room feeling confident. She saw Peeta standing nearby leaning casually against the wall eyeing her suspiciously.

"How'd it go Everdeen?" He asked.

"Just fine." She replied. "Good luck!" She remarked off-handedly as she made her way to her desk.

"Won't need it!" He replied knowingly.

Katniss rolled her eyes, astounded by his wit. After a while she peered over her cubicle to peak into the conference room to see how Peeta's presentation seemed to be going. She was disheartened to see the three were laughing and appeared to be having a glorious time. Katniss suddenly felt a mix of emotions. Jealousy, anger, and annoyance topped the list. She glanced at her watch noticing they were spending a considerable amount of time together. She tried her best to distract herself with various tasks around her work space. She checked her email several times, hoping something new would ping in. She straightened her belongings on her desk top, and got up to refresh her cup of tea. Twice.

"We'll talk soon!" She heard Peeta's voice call loudly as she watched Seneca Crane offer him a departing wave.

Her eyes caught Peeta's, only to see a smug look cross his features. She felt her blood boil. She slammed her laptop closed and left the office for lunch. She needed fresh air before she exploded, and she certainly didn't want to endure what was sure to be a gloat-fest from Peeta Mellark. She let out a frustrated growl as she made her way down on the elevator. As she walked the few blocks it took to get to her favorite deli, she began to feel her anger recede. The familiar ting of the bell on the door and happy shouts hello that greeted her helped to put a smile on her face.

"Hey, girl!" The shop owner, Sae's, gravely voice greeted her. "Want your usual?" She sort of grunted.

Katniss nodded and took a seat on a nearby stool at the counter. She rested her chin in her hand and heaved a sigh.

"Rough day?" One of the workers, Hazelle, remarked. "How'd your presentation go?" She asked suddenly seeming to remember the importance of the day.

Katniss merely shrugged. "Mellark-1, Everdeen-0" she finally offered. Hazelle gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze before setting down her meal in front of her. With a full belly and an hour to process her thoughts, she felt refreshed and ready to return to work. As Katniss sat down at her desk she decided to check on blinddate to see if any other prospects had made an appearance.

Message from Hunter_Dude12: Thanks for messaging me back! I was excited to hear from you. If you're ever interested, I lead a nature walking group on Wednesday afternoons at the local park. No pressure, just figured it might be a way to get to know each other in a different way. I'm cool with messaging for awhile too!

Katniss glanced at her watch then plucked the local park's name into a search engine to investigate his claims. It seemed to check out. Katniss wondered if she should give it a try. She had no obligation to introduce herself if the guide turned out to be not what she expected.

"Katniss, can I talk with you in my office for a moment?" Plutarch said gently, his presence catching her off guard. She gave him a nod and followed behind to his space. He motioned for Katniss to sit in the chair across from his large glass desk.

"Miss Everdeen, Seneca Crane was very impressed with you, and your proposal." Heavensbee began. Katniss felt hope rise in her chest.

"That's wonderful!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, well…he liked the direction of Mr. Mellark's proposal just a smidge more." He finished, showing her a small gap between his fingers and a sympathetic look on his face.

Katniss felt her heart drop. "Oh." Was all she could manage to say.

"However, Mr. Crane was interested to know if you and Peeta would be willing to work together on this one. Perhaps meld your ideas? It was a tough decision after all." Plutarch finished, folding his hands over his stomach as he leaned back in his chair.

Katniss looked to her boss wondering if he was serious. She was pretty sure at this point she would rather pluck the hairs out of her head one-by-one.  
"I'll think it over." She said, clearing her throat. She smoothed her skirt as she stood to leave, giving Plutarch a quick nod. She made her way back to her desk, ignoring the still smug look on Peeta's face. She grabbed her purse then and tried her best not to storm out of the office.

"Ok, if I could have everyone gather to the side, we'll start the hike in just a couple minutes." A tall, dark and handsome man called to the growing crowd.

With an assessment of the surrounding group, Katniss quickly realized the large attendance of middle-aged women was likely due to the good looks of the guide, and less because of the nature of the walk. She stood back and took in the sight of the man in front of her. He wore cargo shorts and a form fitting T-shirt that showed off his muscular frame. She noticed several of the women tried their best to hold his attention, but he seemed more interested in checking his pack as if he were going on some great expedition.

"So, any tips for the journey ahead?" She said as she approached him.

This gained the man's attention. He smirked at her, "First time?" He queried.

"Well, being a nature lover, I thought maybe I'd check it out." She offered, seeing if he'd catch her hint and to check if he was actually Hunter_Dude12. He considered her a moment before realization dawned on his face.

"Hey!" He said giving her a smile. "I'm Gale." He stood and offered her his hand.

"Katniss." She replied, returning his smile and her own hand.

"Glad you could make it! I'm going to get everyone started, but you're welcome to hang out up by me. We could chat a bit?" He offered, hoisting his pack on his shoulders.

"For sure!" She replied a little too eagerly. She glanced around noticing the peeved looks from several of the women in the group, and tried her best to suppress her smile.

As Gale began the hike, Katniss did her best to keep pace with him. Many of the women tried to edge her out of the way, but she managed to hold her ground. She and Gale shared an undeniable chemistry, but Katniss wasn't sure what kind. Certainly, it was too early to tell, but Katniss left their time together feeling eager and hopeful about the dinner date they had set up for that Friday night.

Xxx

Peeta couldn't seem to shake the feeling of guilt that had settled in his stomach after his presentation earlier that day. Seeing what looked like hurt on Katniss' face as she hurried from the office after talking with Plutarch, set the dull ache in his gut. He tried to reason that he had worked hard on his presentation and the better man won. Although, he knew he had pulled out all the stops when he was dealing with the client. He made sure to get some inside scoop long before the meeting to be sure he played on all of Seneca's interests. It was just smart business, really. Nothing back handed or shady about it. Or was it? For weeks he had watched Katniss sit at her desk pouring over paperwork, staring at her computer screen long after everyone else had left for the day, even staying after he had relented and finally gone home (which was usually pretty late). He knew she had legitimately worked hard to pull her presentation together, and he had no doubt she had wowed Crane just before him. He had seen her operate enough to know she was a force to be reckoned with. Ultimately, he knew his cheap parlor tricks were childish, and he probably owed her an apology. She likely wouldn't hear it though, and for some reason that made him feel worse. Peeta rubbed his face with his hands trying to clear his mind. He needed a distraction. He glanced at the time and wondered if NatureLvr0508 was online. Logging on to his account, he felt a jolt of excitement to see she was.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Hey there! How was your day?

Message from NatureLvr0508: A rollercoaster to say the least! You?

Message to NatureLvr0508: My day was ok. What happened to you?

Message from NatureLvr0508: Work was horrible :( But I cleared my mind with a nice hike through some of the trails at the park. Feeling refreshed now.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Sorry to hear work was horrible! Want to talk about it?

Message from NatureLvr0508: Well…we all have that one co-worker…

Message to NatureLvr0508: Oh, I know what you mean! Want me to take care of them for you? ;) ;)

Message from NatureLvr0508: Haha! Tempting, but no. Some people just can't be fixed. You kinda caught me at a bad time though, I was just heading out to catch the sunset. I'm working on a new series I'm thinking about entering in an art contest. Plus I bought a new filter I'm kinda geeked to try. I'll ttyl!

Message to NatureLvr0508: That sounds awesome. I'm heading home myself. Hopefully I'll catch you later! Enjoy the sunset.

Peeta gave a quick glance to the other messages he had received that day on the site, not feeling overly inspired to reply to any of them. With a sigh, he switched off his computer and the lamp on his desk. He paused on his way to the elevator to look out the glass windows there on the 75th floor. It was a pure and unobstructed view of the city, along with the stunning sunset before him. It had been some time since he had taken a moment to enjoy its beauty. Peeta suddenly felt inspired himself, eager to go home and lose himself in his paints and canvas.

Peeta practically ripped the work clothes from his body as he entered his apartment a short while later. He hurried to dress in his paint clothes and get started. Flicking on the lights of the tiny art studio he had created from the spare room in his apartment, he switched on his radio to the sounds of classical music and began setting up his canvas and prepping his palette. Peeta lost himself in every brush stroke, finally emerging back to reality after what had turned into hours. He ran a hand through his hair, assessing his work. He felt good about his interpretation of tonight's sunset. He snapped a picture on his phone, feeling he owed it to NatureLvr0508 to say thanks for helping inspire him to de-stress. After what should have been a great day at work, it had very much turned sour. He sent the picture through their message strand with a short word of gratitude before he shut down his studio and headed sleepily for bed.

When he woke the next morning he found his nature lover had messaged him back:

Message from NatureLvr0508: Wow MuffinM4n, I'm impressed! You are very talented and I'm happy I served as inspiration for you. That's quite a compliment from one artist to another :) I'll be sure to send you my shots after I develop them. I probably won't get to my dark room until this weekend. Anyway, I hope you had a good night.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Good morning! Thank you for saying so :) I'm hoping you have a much better, and less eventful day today at work. Don't let that crummy co-worker bum you out. You're too cool to be bummed.

Message from NatureLvr0508: Good morning! I appreciate that. Although, you're for sure the first person that has ever referred to me as cool. Haha!

Message to NatureLvr0508: Well, I've really enjoyed our chats these last couple of days. I'm not sure where we go from here?

There was a long bout of quiet from the other end. Peeta was tempted to retract, or cover from him suggestion until she came back with: Did you want to meet?

Peeta felt his stomach turn in knots at the suggestion. He bit his lip, excited.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Yes

Well this was going better than he thought. He certainly didn't want to rush into things, but if they could agree on a date to meet in the near future and keep up with their chats in the meantime, he would be happy.

Message from NatureLvr0508: Awesome! I'm running late for work. Let's set something up later. Have a great day!

Peeta glanced at the clock in the kitchen realizing he too was running behind. He stopped off at the coffee shop in the lobby of the office building and bought himself a tea before heading up to work. As he turned to leave the counter, his conscience got the better of him and he bought a small coffee and a second tea, not knowing what Katniss preferred. He was hopeful she would accept his meager peace offering. Peeta noticed her setting her lunch in the refrigerator in the staff room as he passed on his way to his desk. He stopped and admired her round backside for a moment before mentally shaking himself.

"Good morning." He offered gently. He saw her startle. Katniss slowly closed the door of the fridge, keeping her back to him. "I brought you a coffee. Or-or tea… I wasn't sure which you preferred." Peeta finished lamely.

Katniss turned to consider him. "Did you come to gloat?" She said, chin firmly set in defiance.

"No, no! Not at all…I guess it's my form of a peace offering?" He said unsure of himself.

"I don't want your pity drink." She replied and stomped away.

Peeta watched as she walked past. This was going to take more work than he had originally thought. It was back to the drawing board now. She had thoroughly avoided and ignored him the remainder of the day, which made any of Peeta's plans for redemption near impossible. As he knocked on the Odair's door later that day, he confessed to everything the moment Finnick opened the door.

"Dude." Finnick replied standing somewhat shellshocked.

"I know." Peeta agreed.

"This is worse than I thought." His friend continued and ushered him into the house. "Annie!" Finnick yelled, "Bust out the strong stuff, Peeta had a rough day!" He finished, entering the kitchen, giving Peeta a pat on the back.

"What happened?" She said looking sympathetic as she pulled down a bottle of white liquor and two small glasses. "Did your presentation not go well?" Annie asked pouring the liquid into the cups.

"No, it went great. I got the account." Peeta admitted as he took the shot, making a face as it burned its way down his throat.

"So?" Annie asked expectantly.

"So, the doofus got the account instead of letting Katniss get it." Finnick said with an edge to his voice as he took his shot, slamming the glass down on the counter. Annie gave him a look to which he mouthed an apology.

"I tried to apologize, but she ignored me all day." Peeta said remorsefully.

"Well I'd ignore your petty ass-" Finnick began.

"Language, Finnick!" Annie chastised.

"Butt, too." Finnick corrected as he finished his thought.

"I was so petty!" Peeta lamented. "Ugh! What does it matter?"

"It matters because you've started to care about her over the years, and you know you've hurt her feelings." Annie offered as she turned her attention to dinner that was cooking on the stove.

"I don't care about her." Peeta said defiantly. Annie and Finnick shot him a look at the same time. "Anyway, I've been talking to this great woman online." Peeta said, effectively changing the subject.

"Oh, tell me more!" Annie gleamed excitedly, passing off the spatula she was using to Finnick, and taking a seat near Peeta at the island. Finnick rolled his eyes and saddled up to the stove to continue cooking.

"Well, we've chatted every morning and night for the last few days. She's in advertising too. She does photography on the side and likes being outdoors. We talked about maybe meeting sometime soon." Peeta finished.

"What if she's a total beast?" Finnick offered.

"Finnick Odair!" Annie scorned. "That's not all that matters in this world." She added. Finnick shrugged and turned back to his task.

Peeta couldn't lie, he had wondered about her looks. It wasn't a deal breaker for him though. Plus, he felt certain that someone he shared chemistry with on a seemingly deeper level, like he did with her, couldn't be so bad either way. In fact, he found himself leaving just after dinner feeling eager to get home to chat with her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss fiddled with the chain of her necklace as she waited for Gale to meet her that Friday evening. She felt her heart leap as she caught sight of him walking in to the restaurant. She offered him a wave once their eyes met.

"Hey. You look great!" He commented as he approached the table. They gave each other a quick hug before sitting down.

"Thank you." She said bashfully as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're not so bad yourself." She flirted back. He did look good. He wore a light button-down shirt that was a sharp contrast to his olive skin and dark hair. She noticed his eyes were a steely gray just like hers. In fact, Katniss found herself being distracted by the thought of how similar they looked while Gale chatted away.

As the evening progressed, the chemistry they seemed to have on the hike earlier in the week came back, feeling stronger than before. Katniss found that she and Gale had a great number of interests in common, and got along easily. The two walked the city after dinner sharing conversation and laughs. Katniss found Gale was very opinionated about many things, and challenged her thoughts as well. As they returned back to the restaurant at the evening's end, Katniss felt an undeniable pull toward Gale. He seemed to feel it too as the pair became quiet and looked to each other's eyes. As their lips hovered close to one another, Gale closed the gap pressing his mouth to Katniss'. She was disappointed at the lack of spark she felt at the touch, feeling more like she would kissing a sibling or family member. It wasn't repulsive, but it wasn't romantic either. She pulled back and eyed him bashfully.

"Ok, well…" she began awkwardly.

"Yeah, thanks for a great night!" Gale said seeming awkward himself.

"We'll talk soon!" She replied as she began to back away and walk toward her apartment. She fiddled with the strap of her purse.

"Yeah, soon." Gale offered as he gave her a wave before turning in his own direction.

"Most awkward kiss ever!" Katniss texted Johanna once she was down the block a little ways.

"Call and tell me everything. Now." Her friend replied.

"Ok, spill!" Johanna's voice greeted her before Katniss had even said a hello.

"Well he's completely gorgeous," Katniss began.

"And you're complaining because…?" Johanna interjected.

"And we have great chemistry." Katniss continued.

"Still not seeing the problem." Johanna pestered.

"Kissing him was like kissing a family member. Like a cousin or a brother if I had one."

There was a long silence on the other end. Katniss pulled the phone from her ear to see if she had been disconnected. "Hmm…" was all Johanna said in response.

"I mean, do I give him another chance? It was really kind of strange. We even look like we could be related." Katniss said, making a face.

"Well, do you have any other prospects? What about that guy from work you're always talking about?" Johanna offered.

Katniss searched her mind, "Peeta?" She said with disgust. "I do not talk about him all the time!"

"Yeah, ok." Johanna said sarcastically. "Anyway, I'd give your tour guide another chance. Maybe there's no spark yet, but there could be. This isn't a fairytale; fireworks don't fly just because you kiss a guy. I mean, honestly." She finished. Katniss could almost hear her roll her eyes on the other end.

"Alright, thanks Jo. I'm just walking in the door. I'll talk to you later." Katniss said switching off.

She still felt at a loss about all this dating stuff. When she thought about her romantic history she wasn't sure she could ever pinpoint a moment where she had been in love, or felt a spark for that matter. Maybe Johanna was right? She definitely had more experience. Maybe it just took time? Katniss changed to her pajamas and pulled her laptop to her on the couch. She was hopeful MuffinM4n was around. She smiled excitedly when she saw he was.

Message to MuffinM4n: Good evening! I wasn't expecting to see you on here.

Message from MuffinM4n: I could say the same for you! I'm babysitting my friend's kids so he and his wife can get out one last time before baby #4 arrives. Finally have a minute to myself now that I got them all bathed! 2 down, 1 left to sleep.

Message to MuffinM4n: How sweet! How old are they? What are their names? I'm impressed by your babysitting skills, managing three at once!

Message from MuffinM4n: Haha! Thanks. I would say my fort building abilities are pretty top notch. I'm also pretty good at whipping up chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese. There's Liam, he's 6. Chloe is 4 and George is 1.

Message to MuffinM4n: I used to love building forts! I had a pretty awesome set up in my backyard. Envied by all, rivaled by none ;) So what's your magic trick to get them to sleep?

Message from MuffinM4n: Book reading, warm chocolate milk, back rubs and exactly one song. Works every time.

Message to MuffinM4n: How strange, that works for me too!

Message from MuffinM4n: Diaper emergency! Brb!

Katniss couldn't help but laugh out loud at his sudden predicament. She went to grab herself a glass of water in the meantime. As she sat back down, she noticed a new message from MuffinM4n: So…when did you want to meet?

Katniss took a long drink of her water thinking back to her date that evening. She really enjoyed talking with this man, whoever he is, and was almost afraid to ruin it.

Message to MuffinM4n: Sometime next week? I'm free Wednesday.

Message from MuffinM4n: Wednesday sounds great. There's a place I like to go to, they have great pizza. It's called Abernathy's. Heard of it?

Message to MuffinM4n: I love that place! They have good drinks too. How will I know it's you?

Message from MuffinM4n: I'll be at the table by the front window. I'll wear a blue T-shirt and jeans. Sound good?

Message to MuffinM4n: Perfect! I'm looking forward to it :)

Message from MuffinM4n: Me too! I'm going to put George down. He finally crashed. I'll talk to you later!

Katniss sat back on the couch feeling her excitement bubbling over into a giggle. Wednesday couldn't come soon enough.

Xxx

As Monday rolled around, Peeta felt like he could float on air. Talking with his nature lover over the weekend had been exciting and made him feel eager for their first meeting on Wednesday. He wondered briefly if they should try talking on the phone in the meantime, but actually felt quite satisfied with how things were going. He also enjoyed the bit of mystery that shrouded them, so decided against suggesting a call. As he entered the office he was pulled into Plutarch's office right away. A very grumpy looking Katniss sat near the desk.

"Peeta, great news!" Heavensbee began. "Katniss has agreed to partner with you on the Crane account. Seneca is so thrilled. He's really very excited to see what you two can put together. I'll expect a reformatted presentation for him by the end of the day on Wednesday." Plutarch said, barely allowing himself a chance to breathe. He clapped Peeta on the back and rushed from the room, chasing after his secretary for a cup of coffee. Peeta was left feeling dumbfounded.

"So I have this thing going on this Wednesday night, so if we could just pedal to the metal and get the new presentation done…" Peeta said trailing off, looking to Katniss as he fiddled with the strap of his messenger bag.

"Yeah, well I'm busy too. So great." She said in a huff.

"What are you so busy doing?" Peeta asked as she stood. He tried to sound genuinely interested instead of rude. He wasn't sure it came off that way as he followed her on her way back to her desk.

"That's none of your business." She snapped. "Meet me in the conference room in 10 so we can get started."

Peeta gave her a nod and dropped his belongings off at his own desk. Grabbing himself a cup of tea, he slowly made his way to the conference room, not exactly thrilled to be working beside Little Miss Cactus. Although this did give him an opportunity to possibly redeem himself and let her take the reigns a bit on the project. He wasn't surprised to see her already sitting inside the room, laptop open and ready to go.

"Show me what you've got." He said as he sat down beside her.

Katniss let out a sigh and ran him through her presentation. Peeta felt like scum after he saw it. Her ideas were absolute genius; pure and simple.

"Well?" She asked looking to him expectantly.

"Looks pretty good." He offered with a shrug.

Katniss lifted her brow and tapped her pen on her notepad several times. It looked like she was biting the inside of her bottom lip.

"What did you have?" She asked back after a moment. Peeta felt ridiculous showing her his proposal. He wasn't sure how she was going to react. He tried not to stare, but kept an intent eye on her to try to gauge her reaction. She was completely unreadable. "I need more to drink." She said as she stood after a very long moment of silence once he was done.

Peeta watched as she walked from the room. He sat back heavily in his chair, rubbing his cheek then pinching the bridge of his nose. He startled when Katniss stormed back in unexpectedly, "We can make this work!" She began emphatically.

"We can?" Peeta asked sitting up, taking a look at her.

"Yes. Between my idea, what you've got there, and with your knack for numbers and budgeting, I think we can give Crane exactly what he wants." She finished as she sat down beside him.

Katniss Everdeen was all business. Peeta even thought he might label it stubbornness. As the hours ticked by she was unrelenting in her work, forcing Peeta to do the same. He figured whatever she had going on Wednesday night must've been pretty exciting for her to be working this efficiently. Not one to be outdone, Peeta worked just as fervently beside her. He looked to her as she cleared her throat. Half expecting her to say something, Peeta waited and quickly got lost in his thoughts. In their close proximity he noticed the freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks. He even caught the way her thick lashes curled, nearly touching the underside of her brows. He was particularly captivated by how good she smelled. He had narrowed it down to a mix of her shampoo and whatever detergent she washed her clothes in. She smelled like spring.

"What is it Peeta?" She asked, keeping at her work but surely feeling his eyes on her for too long.

"Oh, I uh-I thought you were getting ready to say something." He managed to stutter out.

Katniss gave him a sidelong glance and pursed her lips. "Yeah, let's break for lunch. See you back in an hour." She offered quickly as she pushed back from the table and headed for the elevator.

"Way to go!" Peeta muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes at how awkward he was.

After lunch, it was more of the same. Peeta tried his best to be friendly and chatty, but Katniss just wasn't having any of it. As the end the day approached, both of them seemed eager to leave. Especially since Peeta was beginning to feel like the walls were closing in on him. He was grateful as he and Katniss both muddled uneventfully through the next day together to get their presentation done.

As Peeta woke slowly the following morning, he tried his best to mentally prepare for yet another day with Katniss the Cactus. He gave himself a quick pep talk as he gradually readied for work, knowing Seneca would arrive Thursday morning eager to check out the new joint proposal. On the bright side, he had confirmed plans with NatureLvr0508 for later that evening. The two had even exchanged phone numbers the night before in anticipation of their meeting. Peeta hadn't gotten up the nerve to text her yet. The thought sent the butterflies in his stomach into overdrive. Although, he still liked the mystery that surrounded her. It made it that much more exciting to finally see her face and learn her name tonight.

"Someone's chipper today." Peeta remarked with a smirk as he noted the marked difference in his partner's mood. He had caught Katniss singing softly to herself as she bustled around the workroom at the office that morning.

"You scared me!" She gasped and grabbed her chest at the unexpected sound of his voice. She shot him a look.

"Sorry." He offered as he unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and rolled each of them to his elbows. "What are you working on?" He asked as he came alongside her.

"Just wanted to make sure everything was set for tomorrow morning." She replied.

"I can help." He said as he reached for a stack of pages.

"No, I got it." Katniss replied as she reached for the stack of pages at the same time.

Their arms bumped and their hands met on top of the papers. Katniss blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear as she pulled away from Peeta's touch. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pant pockets. They were quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of the copy machine.

"I'll head to the conference room then." He offered, not knowing what else to say. Katniss nodded and went back to her task.

After some time, Katniss joined Peeta and the two settled into their work making final preparations. The morning quickly turned into the afternoon. While the hours ticked by, Peeta felt himself checking his watch more and more, growing impatient for the time to come when he could safely leave.

"Got somewhere to be?" Katniss asked, glancing his way.

"Yeah, sorta." Peeta admitted, noticing it was growing closer to six.

"I'll finish up here." Katniss said giving him a reassuring smile.

"You sure?" Peeta confirmed, moving back from the table.

"Yeah. Have a nice night, Peeta." She offered gently.

Peeta thanked her and gathered his things from his desk. He headed home to prep for his date. By seven o'clock, he gave himself one last glance in the mirror and headed for Abernathy's. He figured there wouldn't be much of a crowd since it was a Wednesday night. He was happy to see the table in front of the window was empty as he had promised his date he'd be there. He sat down, wiping his palms across his thighs, willing his heart to slow. He took a deep breath and stared expectantly out the window, waiting anxiously for her. Although, no amount of deep breaths could have prepared him for the way he felt the moment someone unexpected stepped into the restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

When Katniss begrudgingly agreed to work alongside Peeta on the Crane project, she hadn't anticipated just how hard working he would be. She wondered if he was overcompensating. Especially after their rocky start. Katniss quickly realized his presentation couldn't hold a candle to hers, and she knew he sensed it too. In fact, Katniss had a front row seat to watch as his carefully constructed, rough and tough exterior began to crack around him. She was beginning to see through his arrogance, but she couldn't understand why he needed to be that way, especially around her. She also hadn't expected them to work so well together as a team. When Peeta wasn't trying to counteract her progress, like he normally did on a daily basis, things went quite smoothly. Through all of this, she stole glances at him when she was sure he wasn't paying attention, in an attempt to figure him out. It hadn't gotten her any further in her understanding of him, but she did learn that he chewed his bottom lip when he was concentrating, rolled up his sleeves when he was seriously ready to work, and rubbed the back of his neck when he was frustrated. He also smelled really good which, for some reason, made it difficult to concentrate at times.

Katniss was pleased with how everything pulled together by Wednesday for their presentation. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to work alongside, so when he seemed eager to leave Wednesday night, she figured she owed him that much to let him go. Glancing at her own watch some time after he had left, she noticed just how little time she had left to prepare for her date. She tried not to think about it too much during the day, although that was easier said than done.

Katniss took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she gave herself one last look in the mirror before heading out the door. Thankfully Abernathy's was only a couple of blocks away from her apartment. Katniss checked the time feeling another round of butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to the restaurant. She stepped in through the door moving toward the table by the window. Katniss suddenly felt her heart drop as her dreams shattered into a million little pieces.

"What are you doing here?" She barked at Peeta.

"I should ask you the same thing! I'm meeting someone here, so if you don't mind…" Peeta replied shooing her away.

"I'm meeting someone here too and you're in our spot." Katniss argued back, folding her arms across her chest.

The two glared at one another for a short time. Katniss gave a tiny gasp as a look of realization slowly dawned on his face and hers. "You!" She accused, pointing a finger at Peeta. "You're muffin man? Oh God!" She buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

She gave Peeta one last look before she turned and made a hasty retreat from the restaurant. As she exited out onto the sidewalk she felt her foot falter beneath her. In an attempt to right herself, she heard a sickening pop followed by an excruciating pain in her left ankle. She gave a cry and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Katniss, are you ok?" Peeta asked, seeming to appear from nowhere to offer her a hand as he kneeled by her side.

"Don't touch me!" She snarled as she pulled her injured foot closer to assess the damage. She drew in a sharp breath at the new feeling of pain.

"You're hurt, let me help you." Peeta offered, giving her a worried look.

"Go away!" Katniss managed to groan as she attempted to get herself to a standing position. Failing in the process.

"Seriously?" Peeta replied incredulously as he scooped her up easily in his arms.

"Put me down!" She argued as she squirmed in his hold.

Peeta stopped walking to consider her. "You need to get to the hospital." He said. "I'll take you." He finished definitively, setting Katniss down gingerly on a nearby bench.

After hailing a cab, Peeta returned to help her stand. Katniss' arm stretched to wrap around his tall shoulder. Peeta's arm went around her waist, his hand firmly gripping her side. She felt the effects of the pain and swelling in her ankle rapidly taking the place of her better judgment. Peeta Mellark was the enemy. He was likely just saying he would take her to the hospital, but really plan to shove her from the passenger side door while the car was moving. She felt an annoying bout of nerves in her stomach as she held tightly to his strong shoulders, pressed close to his body as she hobbled along.

"Thanks." She managed to croak out before cursing in pain after he assisted her to the seat.

"You ok?" Peeta finally asked as they made their way.

Katniss nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose; partly from embarrassment, and partly for the distraction it provided from the pain in her foot. As they arrived at the hospital, Peeta did his best to help Katniss get in and settled while he retrieved her paperwork. He feigned interest in a parenting magazine, while she completed her work.

"You don't have to stay." She commented as he returned from the nurses station having given them her forms.

"How exactly did you intend to get home, walk?" He asked with a quirk of his brow as he reclaimed his spot beside her.

"I can get a cab." She said with a shrug. Although she knew they were far enough outside the city that getting a cab meant spending big bucks (that she didn't have). Selfishly she thought that if he stayed they could at least split the cost like they had on the way there.

Peeta sighed, unmoving. The two were quiet for a time as they people watched amongst the others in the emergency waiting room.

"I remember this one time when I was ten," Peeta began with a chuckle. "My brothers and I were playing catch and I caught the ball with my nose." He pantomimed the action with his hand, adding in sound effects for good measure. Katniss couldn't help but chuckle at his antics.

"Was it broken?" She asked looking closely at his profile to see if she could detect anything.

"No, thankfully. Just bloody. Very, very bloody. I thought my brothers were going to die. My mom had an absolute fit." Peeta smiled at the memory as he shook his head.

They fell quiet again. Katniss wasn't feeling quite ready to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room, but sensed it's ever-growing presence.

"So you're my nature lover-zero-five-zero-eight, huh?" Peeta said with a sigh as he ventured in to the topic anyway.

Katniss let her head loll back for a moment as she playfully groaned. "Yep, that's me." She said raising her hand to give a playful little wave.

"I can't decide if that's ironic or cruel." Peeta offered, giving her a smirk. Katniss playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"I've been trying to decide that about this entire evening." Katniss replied.  
She definitely leaned more toward cruel.

Peeta refused to leave, giving one excuse or another as the nurse called her name and wheeled her back to an exam room. The doctor seemed confident that it was only sprained, but she was going to order an X-ray to be safe. Peeta managed to keep himself and Katniss entertained in the meantime by making elaborate sculptures from the medical supplies around them. He even offered a latex glove rooster as a creation, making her laugh. After awhile, the curtain was drawn open again on the room they had been sitting in which caught both Katniss and Peeta's attention.

"Katniss?" The man standing in front of them asked, sounding surprised.

"Gale!" She exclaimed feeling befuddled by his unexpected appearance.

"Peeta." Peeta offered with a wave after everyone else had said their name.

Katniss and Gale both shot him a quick look. "What happened?" Gale asked as he came near her bedside.

"You two know each other?" Peeta asked.

"Yeah, we went out." Katniss remarked quickly brushing it off. "What are you doing here?" She queried back to Gale.

"I'm the X-ray tech. I thought I told you that's what I do?" Gale replied as he offered to help her to the wheelchair again.

"Like went out a lot, or like a little?" Peeta asked, although the two largely ignored him as he trailed behind.

"Yeah, I've been doing this for about four years now. I love the action here in the ER." Gale continued as the three walked the hallway to the X-ray room. "Sorry, you can't come in." Gale said as he stopped outside a closed door and looked to Peeta.

"Oh, right. Radiation." Peeta replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll uh-I'll be in the lobby." He said and looked to Katniss after a moment's thought.

"It's ok, Peeta. You can go home. Really." Katniss said.

"Yeah, I can take her home after. I don't have much longer on my shift anyway." Gale offered.

Katniss watched as a crestfallen Peeta nodded his acceptance and made his way toward the lobby. She wasn't entirely sure why, but watching him leave made her feel sad too.

"Peeta!" She called to him. He stopped and turned to look at her. She didn't miss the hopeful glint in his eye. "Thanks for everything." She said.

He gave her a half smile and a nod before he turned to leave. Gale chatted excitedly while he worked, even though Katniss wasn't in much of a mood for conversation. She couldn't seem to shake the feeling of guilt that had settled in her gut either. The whole process was incredibly time consuming and by the end of it Katniss was exhausted and starving. Ultimately she was told she had a nasty sprain. She was wrapped up, provided a pair of crutches, and sent on her way. She waited around for what felt like forever for Gale, only to be told he was not in fact getting off shift any time soon. As the hour neared midnight, Katniss felt too tired to be annoyed. She hobbled her way to the hospital vestibule, very eager to return home and put this whole ordeal behind her. To make matters worse, she realized it was now pouring rain.

"Wonderful." She muttered as she pushed her way through the front door and out to the protective awning of the hospital's entrance.

"I thought maybe you could use some sustenance." She heard a voice call to her from nearby.

She turned in the direction of the sound to discover Peeta leaning against an awaiting taxi with a box of pizza sitting on top of it. She felt her emotions get the best of her as she gave a choked laugh, feeling something close to tears. She managed to give a nod and offered him a smile. "You came back." She said as she approached him.

"Yeah, I figured I owed you that much for making you break your ankle." He said with a wink.

"It's only a bad sprain." She explained, eyeing the food. "I'm so hungry!" She practically whined.

Peeta helped Katniss into the cab, handing her the box of pizza. He stuffed her crutches in the trunk, then took a seat beside her. "Historically I question the cleanliness of all cabs, but in this case I'm so hungry, I'm willing to risk my health." He said as he opened the box and grabbed himself a piece of the pizza.

Katniss chuckled and joined him. She tried her best to not eat like a complete animal as they rode back to her apartment. After some protest from Katniss, Peeta paid for the cab and helped her upstairs to her home. They stood outside the door, neither sure what to say or do.

"So…" Peeta began, stuffing his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

"Yeah…" Katniss responded. "Thanks again for dinner, and the cab, and coming back to get me, and just…everything." She rambled on, gesticulating here and there.

"For sure, whatever you need." Peeta said quickly with a shrug. "No big deal."

The two looked intently into one another's eyes. The moment suddenly felt super charged with energy and some new feeling Katniss couldn't quite place. She watched as Peeta licked his lips as she bit her own. Peeta took a step toward her, tightening the space between them. Her breathing was heavy as his head slowly bent toward hers. She raised her chin to close the space that remained. As their lips hovered near one another, Katniss suddenly became aware of who she was about to kiss.

"I can't!" She exclaimed as she pulled back abruptly, effectively breaking the spell.

"Right! Of course. I'm sorry, that was stupid of me. I don't know what that was!" Peeta rambled awkwardly as he took a considerable step back. "I'm uh-I'm going to…go?" He said more like a question, motioning with his thumbs toward the exit.

"Yeah, I need to get to bed. Big day tomorrow!" She said a little to loudly with a fake laugh to boot. She wrestled with her keys for a moment in the door.

"Yes, big day!" Peeta agreed as he turned quickly to walk away. "Goodnight!" He yelled over his shoulder and bolted down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.

"Goodnight!" Katniss yelled back as she hurried into her apartment slamming the door behind her. She rested there for a moment trying desperately to process what had just transpired.

Was she really going to kiss Peeta? Peeta Mellark? The man that went out of his way every day to aggravate her? The man that stole her most wanted client out from underneath her nose? The man that carried her when she was hurt? The man that stayed by her side the entire time at the hospital, only leaving when she forced him to? The man that showed up in the pouring rain with food and helped her home? The man that she had spent hours talking with about anything and everything? Yes, that Peeta. Peeta Mellark.


	6. Chapter 6

Peeta stood in the conference room the next morning hovering over his laptop prepping for the presentation. Plutarch and Seneca sat chatting quietly while they waited.

"Good heavens, Miss Everdeen! What happened to you?" Plutarch exclaimed suddenly.

Peeta turned to see Katniss standing in the doorway. He took in the sight of her and wondered if she had always been so pretty. Peeta mentally shook himself from the thought.

"Just a sprain. Guess I got into too big of a hurry." Katniss explained cryptically with a shrug, as she and Peeta's eyes met. Plutarch stood to pull a chair out for her. She thanked him and sat down, greeting Seneca in the process. They ran through their new presentation, much to Mr. Crane's approval. As the man stood to leave, Katniss turned to Peeta giving him a victorious smile. Peeta considered her for a moment before turning to call to Seneca.

"Mr. Crane, sir, I think you should consider putting Katniss on as lead for this project." He said as he stood to face Seneca.

"And why's that?" Crane asked as he looked to Katniss. Peeta glanced at her, her face unreadable, before turning back to Seneca.

"Because she's the brains behind all of this. This is her vision, her brilliance. I'm just standing by waiting for her direction." Peeta admitted honestly.

Seneca considered him for a moment before giving a nod. "Miss Everdeen?" He called to her. She stirred from what looked like a trance.

"Yes?" She asked, standing.

"You're in charge." Crane announced.

"Yes, sir. Thank you!" She offered, sounding somewhat baffled.

With that, Crane turned and left the office. Peeta smiled and turned to see Katniss staring at the ground. Plutarch came and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. She met his eyes, giving him a meek smile. Her eyes fell to Peeta then, her face remained unreadable. As soon as Plutarch left the room Katniss glared at him.

"What the hell was that?" She practically sneered.

"Huh?" Peeta said, feeling very perplexed.

Katniss grabbed her crutches and walked toward him, stopping to face him. "Why are you suddenly trying to be nice to me? Why bother?" She asked.

"I thought you'd be happy! You worked so hard on this project. I thought this is what you wanted!" He offered back sounding exasperated.

"I wanted it on my own! Not because you gave me your sloppy seconds!" Katniss threw back. Peeta sighed still feeling confused. "I'm going home to rest. I'll see you tomorrow." Katniss finally offered as she headed toward the elevator.

Peeta walked back to his desk trying to figure out what went wrong. He was trying desperately to make things right with this woman, but she was making it next to impossible. After everything that had happened the night before he felt more confused than ever by his feelings and opinions for Katniss Everdeen. Especially since he had wanted nothing more in that moment at her door to lean down and discover what her lips felt like; what her mouth tasted like against his.

"I made a mess of everything" Peeta texted Finnick.

"What now?" His friend texted him back almost immediately.

"Too much to text. Dinner tonight?" Peeta asked.

"Sure thing! You're buying. Annie wants Chinese ;)" Finnick replied.

Later that evening, Peeta wasn't surprised to find Annie answer the door after he knocked. "Come in, tell me everything!" She greeted him eagerly.

"You'll have to excuse my wife, she doesn't get out much." Finnick said in a loud whisper as he came behind Annie, holding his hands lightly over her ears as if she wouldn't hear. She elbowed him gently in the ribs, giving him a look.

"Hello. How are you?" Finnick said purposefully to Peeta as if to set an example, while giving his wife a playful knowing look.

"Hi Peeta, how are you? Come in, tell me everything!" Annie said hurriedly as she ushered Peeta inside the house.

Finnick grabbed the carry out bags Peeta held in his hands, bringing them to the kitchen. Coming from the adjoining room, Liam and Chloe charged for Peeta, enveloping each of his legs in tight hugs.

"Hey, you two." Peeta said with a chuckle as he squeezed them back. After they let go, Peeta scooped up a toddling George to throw him in the air a few times. The baby squealed with delight. Peeta planted a kiss on his chubby cheek before setting him down and on his way again.

"Ok Peeta, you know I love you, but I am very pregnant and very desperate for something more to happen in my day besides cartoons and poop, so I'm going to need you to start talking." Annie said as she rubbed her stomach, trying to look composed.

Finnick raised his eyebrows, but kept his mouth shut as he retrieved plates and silverware for dinner. Returning quickly, the three sat down and started helping themselves to food while Peeta began. By the end of the story, both Finnick and Annie's mouths were open, neither having touched their plates.

"No. Way." Annie said, punctuating each word.

"Wow." Was all Finnick could say.

"So what are you going to do now?" Annie asked after taking a bite.

"I don't know. I was hoping you two could help me figure this out." Peeta replied.

"Love is a tricky thing, my friend." Finnick began.

"Oh please don't mention love. I'm hardly in love with her!" Peeta retorted.

"Oh, you're falling for her alright." Finnick said knowingly. Annie simply nodded in agreement.

Peeta scoffed and took his plate to the sink. "What would it matter if I was? She can't stand to be around me."

"You've got to keep showing her what a great guy you are. How caring and thoughtful you are. Show more of your online persona to her in the real world." Annie suggested.

"Yeah, you're going to have to finesse this one a bit, I think. Seems like she's leery of you because of what a jerk you've been to her all these years. I mean, most guys stop flirting like they're in second grade by the time they hit thirty. She'll just have to understand you're a bit behind the eight ball on that one." Finnick added giving Peeta a smirk.

Peeta sat down and flicked a piece of food in his friend's direction. "You're right." He finally relented.

"We know." Finnick and Annie replied at the same time. They gave each other a smile and a kiss.

"You got this, Peet. Just be patient. If she really means something to you, you'll make it work." Finnick said in conclusion.

Peeta nodded as Annie stood. She kissed the top of his head and moved toward the sink. The next thing Peeta knew there was a loud crash as Annie dropped the plate from her hand. She stood to grip the counter and her stomach. Finnick rushed to her side.

"Is this it?" He asked eagerly.

Peeta sat frozen in his seat staring at the two. Annie shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. After she let out a deep breath and reassured Finnick, Peeta moved to clean up the mess from the floor while Finnick took Annie to bed to rest. Shortly after, Peeta decided to make his way home.

"How are you feeling?" He texted what he now knew as Katniss' number.

"Tired." Her reply came back more quickly than he expected.

"Are you icing your ankle and keeping it elevated?" He asked.

"Yes, Dr. Peeta ;)"

"I'm really sorry." He admitted.

"It's not your fault I was a klutz."

"No, I mean for everything." He replied, to which he received an uncomfortably long silence afterward.

"Plutarch just texted. He wants the three of us to go out for celebratory drinks tomorrow after work." Katniss came back with, effectively changing the subject.

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow." He replied and left it at that. Although he played with the idea of texting her again with something else. If he was honest, he liked the easy way they bantered back and forth through the veil of technology. He wondered if she felt the same. He also considered whether or not they'd ever be able to make the transition from online to real world. As he made his way into his apartment he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion overtake him. As Peeta flopped into bed, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Katniss tossed and turned most of the night, partly from physical discomfort and partly from a racing mind. As dawn broke across the horizon, she gave a deep sigh and got up from bed. While she brushed her teeth and readied for work, Katniss resolved to try harder to be nice to Peeta especially since it appeared as though he was making some effort to be kind to her. Just before she left she was tempted to log on to blinddate and see if MuffinM4n was on, but thought better of it knowing who was really on the other side of their chats. Although, she had to admit she liked the easy way they had together.

As she walked up to the office building with her head down, focusing on traversing the city with a bum foot, she nearly ran into Peeta.

"Good morning." He said as he held the door for her.

"Good morning, Peeta! How are you?" She replied, cringing inwardly at the her overly friendly tone.

Giving her a questioning glance he offered her a, "Fine, how are you?" As they boarded the elevator.

"Ok." Katniss replied, feeling the awkward silence take over between them.

"So I was thinking that-" Peeta began as Katniss began to say something too. They each started and stopped again before Peeta quietly relented and motioned for Katniss to continue. Now that she had his full attention, she suddenly felt self conscious about her thoughts.

"I wanted to say thank you for letting me take the lead on this account." She offered quickly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sure thing." Peeta replied. "Like I said, it's your genius at work here. Just tell me what to do." He said with a tight smile as he exited the elevator.

Katniss watched as he walked to his desk, part of her thinking of admitting to him that she actually really liked talking to him, and was sorry for being so difficult. But then the other part of her rationalized that he likely wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with her anyway based on his behavior towards her all these years. Katniss figured he had been nice to her recently simply because he felt bad about how everything went down after their first 'date' (if you could even call it that). She shook the confusing thoughts from her mind and got to work, finding comfort in her routine.

The din of the bar was starting to give Katniss a headache as she waited for Plutarch and Peeta later that evening. She massaged her temples gingerly as she searched the steady stream of faces for her cohorts. Finally catching sight of them, she gave a wave and made room at the small high top table she was able to snag before the crowd grew too large. The Hob was a popular hang out with the young working crowd in the city, especially on a Friday evening. Plutarch beamed at her, and she tried her best to plaster what she hoped looked like a genuine smile on her face. Truthfully she was exhausted after a long day of work, and very little sleep the night before. Peeta gave her a nod and a quick smile as he took a seat, looking around the place curiously.

"Order whatever you want, you two are my super stars!" Plutarch said jovially as he scanned a drink menu. Katniss wondered if she should be drinking at all with her pain medicine; although she rationalized one cocktail couldn't hurt, especially if it was free.

Plutarch filled their evening with food, drinks and endless conversation. After a couple of rounds Katniss began to simply nod and agree with whatever her boss was saying. It seemed the more he drank and ate, the looser his lips became. Katniss didn't miss the fact that Peeta was noticeably quiet. He would chime in here and there, but seemed to be spending most of his evening staring distractedly at his phone. She couldn't help the curiosity that nagged at her, wondering if he was talking with some other woman; someone new. She shook herself mentally realizing it was none of her business and she really had no reason to care. Or did she? As Plutarch excused himself to use the restroom, Katniss let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you think he'd notice if I left?" Peeta leaned in and asked conspiratorially. Katniss leaned in to meet him, mere inches from his face. She noted how piercingly blue his eyes were and how he had a small patch of freckles that dusted his nose.

"Hot date?" Katniss teased, giving a snort. She was definitely beginning to feel the effects of her alcohol-pain medicine-cocktail.

"Yeah, three actually." Peeta remarked dryly as he stood, seeming in a hurry.

"Huh?" Katniss replied, struggling to piece together the logistics of going out on a date with three people at once.

"My friend Annie is having her baby. I have to watch Chloe, Liam and George." Peeta offered seeing her obvious confusion.

"Oh." She said simply. "Oh!" Katniss then remarked, suddenly realizing the importance of this moment. She glanced around the bar for Plutarch. "Did you want company?" She asked out of the blue as she saw their boss making his way back to their table. This clearly caught Peeta off guard as he stopped mid way pushing in his stool to consider her. Truthfully it caught Katniss off guard too. She wasn't sure why exactly she had made the suggestion and was tempted to retract her question. She was even more surprised when Peeta agreed to let her tag along after a moment's thought. The two gave a hasty explanation to Plutarch as they made their way to leave.

They hopped into a cab and headed for the Odair's brownstone several blocks away. When they arrived, Peeta walked through the front door calling Finnick's name.

"I'm here!" The man's voice called back sounding some distance away.

Katniss wasn't sure what to do with herself. She suddenly felt very out of place as the circumstances of the situation sobered her. Peeta instructed her to stay by the front door, to which she happily obliged as he made his way upstairs. She was half tempted to slink away when suddenly a little voice greeting her caught her attention. Katniss looked down to meet two curious green eyes, and smiled as she took in the sight of a pajama clad girl with her untamed head full of curls.

"Hi, you must be Chloe." Katniss remarked bending down to meet her. The little girl simply nodded. "I'm a friend of Peeta." She finished. This seemed to ease Chloe's mind, as it set a smile to her face.

"You're pretty." Chloe simply remarked, catching Katniss by surprise.

"Thank you." She replied, feeling a little self conscious under the girl's stare.

"What's your name?" Chloe asked back, suddenly seeming more comfortable.

"My name is Katniss." She replied. The little girl looked at her for a moment and reached to touch the end of Katniss' braid.

"Wanna come see my room?" Chloe asked. Before Katniss could respond, a boy came barreling down the stairs toward them. He had the same sandy blond mop of curls on his head that the girl did.

"Chloe, what are you doing? Mom said to stay in your room!" He chastised. Katniss caught his eye. "Who are you?" He asked looking suspicious.

"This is Katniss, Uncle Peeta's friend." Chloe informed him before Katniss could even open her mouth.

Suddenly all three of their attention was taken by the commotion at the top of the stairs. It sounded as if several voices were all speaking at once. Katniss looked up to see a very calm, very pregnant woman making her way slowly down toward them. She seemed to be reassuring Peeta and giving directions to the other man that was walking closely behind her with several bags in his hands. The woman's eyes met Katniss' causing her to stop suddenly. Peeta and the other man stopped suddenly too. Katniss felt her cheeks warm as all eyes were on her.

"Who's this?" The woman asked, a playful smile on her lips. Peeta suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"This is…Katniss." He said hesitantly.

The woman broke out in a huge smile as realization seemed to dawn on her. The man gave Peeta a nudge and a sly look.

"So this is Katniss, huh?" Peeta's friend remarked. Katniss suddenly felt like she was the butt of an inside joke.

"Hi Katniss, I'm Annie. It's so nice to finally meet you." The pregnant woman came forward and offered her hand. Katniss met her and exchanged a greeting.

"Yeah, we've heard so much about you. I'm Finnick, by the way." He said following behind Annie to shake Katniss' hand. He looked over his shoulder and gave Peeta a thumbs up, along with a very cheesy smile. Peeta's cheeks were rosy with embarrassment as he stood on the stairs. Katniss suddenly wondered what exactly they had heard so much about and why.

"Don't you guys need to be going?" Peeta said pointedly.

Both Finnick and Annie gave a nonchalant shrug. Obviously after experiencing the birth of three children, a fourth was not a major cause for haste.

"It was nice to meet you." Katniss offered as she stepped out of the way of the front door to let the two pass.

"You too!" Annie offered over her shoulder as she walked out of the house.

"Hope to see you again soon!" Finnick said to her with a wink as he closed the front door behind himself. The four stood quietly for a moment. Katniss looked down at her feet.

"Come see the fort Uncle Peeta made for us!" Liam suggested excitedly, much to his little sister's joy. The two children went charging up the stairs, Peeta warned them not to wake their baby brother as he followed closely behind. Katniss brought up the rear studying the plethora of framed photographs the family had hung on the wall climbing the steps. Katniss smiled as she considered photos of Annie and Finnick, their families, their children, and their friends. She noticed one in particular of Peeta and Finnick, arms slung around one another's shoulders, smiles wide on their faces. They stood on a beach in front of a vast blue ocean wearing nothing but bathing suits. Katniss allowed her eyes to linger on the men's toned bodies, curious if either still looked the same. She startled when Chloe's voice called to her from the top of the stairs. The tiny girl took Katniss' hand in her own and lead her to the toy room, taking her time as Katniss was still slow moving. As they rounded the doorway, she was impressed by what she saw as she entered the children's play room. Apparently Peeta had single-handedly constructed what could best be described as a fort palace.

"Wow, Mellark. This is impressive." Katniss remarked as she bent down to investigate.

Peeta poked his head out from one of the entrances and gave her a wry smile. Suddenly a foam sword whacked him on the head from behind, catching him off guard. He withdrew from his place as Katniss heard growls and laughter following shortly after. She couldn't help but smile herself as she made her way inside behind Chloe. Her heart and mind were suddenly working at a feverish pace to reconcile with one another. This was a whole new side of Peeta Mellark that she was unfamiliar with. It felt so genuine and real. It was endearing and fun. Such a stark contrast to the man he presented himself as at work. He always came off as a no-nonsense, take-what-I-want-because-I-can kind of person.

"I'm the princess and you're the queen." Chloe announced, looking at Katniss. "Uncle Peeta you're the knight and Liam is the evil dragon!" She finished assigning roles.

"What does the queen do?" Katniss inquired with a chuckle as she watched the little girl outfit herself with several beaded necklaces from a nearby jewelry box. Chloe then placed a few ceremoniously over Katniss' head as well.

"She bosses the knight around." Chloe said matter of factly as she turned to gather more adornments.

Peeta laughed out loud as Katniss gave him an ironic smile. "And does the knight boss the princess and the dragon around to remind them bedtime is in fifteen minutes?" He said crawling near and poking Chloe in her stomach with the foam sword. The girl giggled, then tried her best to regain her regal composure.

"Only if the knight will read them a story in the castle." Chloe negotiated.

"With chocolate milk!" Liam chimed in as he poked his police helmeted head in to where the others were gathered.

Peeta looked thoughtful for a long moment as the two children began to beg. Katniss smiled knowing full well that he would relent, although it was probably part of his plan anyway. "Ok." He said simply. Chloe lunged to hug him around his neck. He smiled as his eyes met Katniss'. Her eyes flitted away quickly as she felt butterflies tease her stomach. Peeta cleared his throat then. "Go brush your teeth and pick out a book. I'll meet you back here in 5." He said to the two children. They darted off leaving Peeta and Katniss alone. "Want to help me make chocolate milk?" He asked after a moment. Katniss nodded and followed him downstairs.

"How long have you known Finnick and Annie?" Katniss queried as she watched Peeta effortlessly move around the kitchen.

"Finnick and I go way back," He began. "We've known each other since we were little kids. Kindergarten probably. He met Annie our senior year of high school. They went to prom together, and have been inseparable ever since." Peeta finished as he put away his supplies.

He handed Katniss a cup of chocolate milk as the two made their way back upstairs. Chloe met them at the top of the stairs. She grabbed Katniss' free hand, giving it a squeeze. Katniss smiled at her. The four settled on the floor nestling comfortably into the pile of blankets and pillows that made up the floor of the fort. Chloe wiggled her way under Katniss' arm, resting her head on her stomach. Peeta gave Katniss a smirk as Liam settled in beside him. As Peeta began to read, both children gave a yawn and Chloe rubbed her eyes. Katniss couldn't help the yawn that escaped her mouth too. She felt her eyes grow heavy, trying desperately to fight the effects of her long day. Peeta's voice was soft and soothing, soon trialing off into nothing more than a whisper. Katniss looked to him as he closed the book in his hands.

"They're asleep." He mouthed to her.

She nodded, and tried to remain as still as possible as she watched Peeta scoop up Liam in his arms first. Leaving the room, he returned shortly after for Chloe. Katniss smiled to herself as she thought about how endearing the scene had been.

"Hey." Peeta greeted her shortly after as he laid back down beside her.

"Hi." She replied back. "All tucked in?" She asked as she turned her head slightly to meet his eyes, surprised by how close his proximity was to her. She watched as he turned to his side, propping his head in his hand.

"Why did you ask to come here tonight?" He asked after he looked at her for a moment.

Katniss shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted truthfully. "I mean, the bar was pretty horrible, and Plutarch was making me crazy…" she trailed off with her excuses. "Why did you agree to it?" She queried back after a moment.

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "I guess I can't stand the thought of someone suffering." He offered with a wink.

"Even if it's me?" She asked incredulously. "I thought you hate me."

Peeta rolled his eyes, "I don't hate you, Katniss." He replied as he moved to sit up.

"You have gone out of your way to bother me and make rude comments to me literally every day for the last five years." Katniss remarked. "What do you call that if not hate?"

"Stupidity?" Peeta offered meekly, giving his cheek a rub.

She scoffed at his remark suddenly feeling annoyed that she let her better judgement get away from her. She sat up and made to crawl out, but Peeta's hand caught hers. The look in his eyes was pleading and she relented, sitting back down.

"Listen, I don't know how I can ever prove to you that I'm not that guy. I don't know how many times I can apologize for being a complete idiot. But I will! I'm trying; I mean it. I just need you to give me a chance." He begged.

Katniss looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment. His pleading look was unchanging. "How am I supposed to trust you? I mean, you were nice to me a couple of times. And the online version of you is completely different. I'm not sure exactly how to feel or think about you." Katniss confessed feeling flustered.

Peeta nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. The best thing I can think of is to give me time. Give me a chance. Let me prove I'm not completely juvenile. I do know how to treat a woman." He finished.

"Why does it matter so much? Why are you trying so hard?" Katniss asked giving him a curious look. She wasn't quite done trying to get to the bottom of his motives. She wasn't totally convinced of his innocence.

It was Peeta's turn to be flustered, "Because I like you!" He said exasperated, throwing his hands in the air.

"You like online me." Katniss retorted looking annoyed.

"They're the same thing!" Peeta said with a roll of his eye.

"You know as well as I do, they're not. Neither of us has quite sorted out the two! I know I've only ever been Katniss the cactus to you." She said rolling her eyes back at him. Peeta looked taken aback by her knowledge of his nickname for her. Katniss gave him a smug look. "Tell me I'm wrong." She threatened as she waited for a rebuttal.

"You know what? Just forget it!" Peeta finally spat back, his look intense.

"Fine! I don't need this. Forget I-" But before she could finish her thought, the soft insistent lips of Peeta crashed into her unsuspecting ones. Katniss' mind swirled. She pressed her hand to Peeta's chest pushing them apart after a moment. "What the hell?" She gasped, giving him a curious look just before she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his mouth back to hers.


	8. Chapter 8

As Peeta gradually slipped into consciousness he slowly became aware of the rhythmic movement of his right foot. As his eyes adjusted to the light shining in the room he noticed Finnick standing over him with a devilish grin and kicking at his foot. Peeta made a move to sit up feeling as if his body was covered in lead. Glancing down he noticed a mess of brown hair on his chest and the events of the night before came flashing back to his mind. He hadn't planned on kissing her, but when she kissed him back, he felt powerless to resist. They sat in the confined space of the fort, hungry for one another, exploring this newfound territory. That was until George woke up with a screeching cry, effectively breaking the spell they were under. Peeta urged Katniss not to leave as he hurried from the room to comfort the boy back to sleep. When he returned to the space much later than he expected, he discovered Katniss fast asleep among the nest of pillows and blankets. He heaved a sigh and laid back down beside her, falling asleep quickly himself. He certainly hadn't intended on sleeping so long that Finnick had returned home. But that meant Annie must've had the baby, and Peeta was eager to get the details.

Without a word, Finnick motioned for Peeta to follow with a jerk of his head. Peeta ever so gently slid out from under Katniss, allowing her to settle softly to the blanket beneath them, as he made a quick escape and followed his friend downstairs to the kitchen.

"Oh, you have got to tell me what that was all about!" Finnick jeered as he set a kettle on the stove to boil and began prepping the coffee pot.

"Wait, wait, wait." Peeta began, holding up a hand to stop him. "Did Annie have the baby, or what? What are you doing here?" He asked with a shake of his head.

He took a seat at the kitchen island as he watched Finnick open the refrigerator in search or something. "Yeah" Finnick replied as he turned around to beam at Peeta. "She's the most perfect little thing, Peet." He continued on as he shut the refrigerator door and plucked a banana from its bunch on the counter nearby.

"What's her name?" Peeta asked as he stood to grab himself a mug and a teabag, hearing the tea kettle begin to simmer.

"Cora" Finnick replied with a grin as he peeled his piece of fruit. "Annie was seriously amazing. I mean, she's always amazing, but to see her so strong? Gets me every time." Finnick gushed as he took a bite.

The two men sat quietly for a moment while Peeta waited for the water to boil.

"So are you going to explain the good looking brunette that was sleeping on you this morning, or shall I make my own assumptions?" Finnick puzzled, throwing away his peel.

Peeta shot his friend a look which was met with a wry smile. He gave a sigh as he turned off the stove and poured the steaming liquid into his mug. "I'm not exactly sure how it all happened, but one minute we were arguing and the next, we were…we were…" he trailed off, ducking his head and fighting the smile that played on his lips.

Finnick leaned on the counter by his side and Peeta could feel his friend's eyes boring into him, expecting more. Peeta stayed silent and returned to his seat at the kitchen island.

"Oh, come on!" Finnick protested. "That's it? You've got to give me more than that!" He argued, standing across from Peeta with his arms crossed. "What were you arguing about?"

"She doesn't think can she can trust me. She said online me and real life me are two different things." Peeta began. Finnick rolled his eyes and nodded his head as if this point were obvious.

"She just makes me crazy, ya know? But seriously though, her lips!" Peeta got out just before he heard Finnick clear his throat and saw his eyes dart over his head; his body language changing suddenly.

Peeta turned to see Katniss standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She clutched her purse to her chest with one arm, and ran a hand through her hair with the other. Peeta sat frozen.

"Good morning!" Finnick offered cheerfully.

"Good morning." She replied bashfully as she stepped further into the kitchen.

"Hey." Peeta offered as he stood and walked toward her putting his hands in his pockets. "How are you? Are you hungry? Can I get you something to drink?" He rushed out in a hushed tone.

"No, thank you. I'm going to get going actually." She replied, motioning with her thumb over her shoulder.

"I'll walk you out." Peeta offered as they both turned to leave.

"Nice seeing you again!" Finnick called after them, a pie-eating grin on his face.

Katniss glanced over her shoulder giving him a nod and a half hearted smile in return. Peeta shot him a look too.

Once they reached the sidewalk they stood awkwardly for a moment, facing one another. Katniss hugging her purse to her chest. As their eyes met, Peeta leaned in to meet her lips which caused Katniss to pull back quickly from his advance. Peeta felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment, and a curious look crossed his features.

"I'm sorry." Katniss began. "Last night was…nice, but I think we should just work on being…friends." She offered, seeming to chose her words carefully, giving him a sympathetic look.

Peeta felt his stomach twist, his emotions raw. He wasn't expecting to be tossed so mercilessly into the 'friend zone'. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ok, sure. I guess I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah. See you Monday." She replied as she turned to walk to the curb and hail a cab.

Peeta sighed and watched her leave. He ran his hands through his hair and turned to walk back inside where upon entering the kitchen he found George in Finnick's arms with Liam and Chloe sitting at the kitchen island starting in on breakfast.

"Uncle Peeta. Where did Katniss go?" Chloe asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"She had to go home." Peeta informed her, fighting off his own disappointment. He offered her a tight smile and settled beside Liam in a seat.

"Uncle Peeta, did you know that polar bears are left handed?" Liam asked out of nowhere as he took a bite of his cereal.

Peeta sat quietly for a moment, processing this information aside from everything else pulsing through his mind. "No, no I did not." He replied, being accustomed to the boy's pedantic behavior.

"And did you also know that a crocodile cannot stick its tongue out? Or that a hippos' lips are two feet wide?" He queried further.

"No, Liam. You taught me something today, thanks." Peeta offered, giving the boy a weak smile as he ruffled his hair. He then turned and rested his head in his hands feeling completely dejected.

"So, I take it the goodbye didn't go quite as well as your evening?" Finnick asked.

"She wants to be friends." Peeta remarked bitterly, not bothering to lift his head.

Finnick pulled a face that looked like something between pity and pain. "Sorry, man. I guess it's better than nothing." He offered sympathetically. "I mean, friends can always lead to more down the road."

Peeta gave him a tired look. "I guess." He finally relented. "Do you need any more help here? If not, I'm going to head out." He said standing to his feet.

"You are hereby relinquished of your duties." Finnick announced, bowing to him. "Kids, say goodbye to Uncle Peeta." He said as he straightened.

As Liam and Chloe hopped off their chairs and swarmed him for hugs, Peeta couldn't deny feeling better swathed in the children's unconditional love. No matter how crummy he felt about how the rest of his life was going. As he left the house, he opted to walk the few blocks it took to get to his place to try and clear his head.

Peeta threw himself on his bed once he reached his apartment; hoping a nap would make him feel better. After tossing and turning for the better part of an hour, he knew sleep would not ease his racing mind. He picked up his cell phone, tempted to text Katniss. He started and erased at least twenty messages; not having the nerve to send any of them. Peeta paced his apartment trying to think of some way to pass the time. He walked into his art studio, finding comfort in the thought of zoning out with a new piece of art. As Peeta readied his palette, he realized that half of his paints were near empty from his last project. "Perfect" he muttered dryly to himself, tossing aside an empty paint tube. After a quick shower, he threw on a baseball cap with his T-shirt and jeans and headed out the door for more supplies.

"Hey Peeta, long time no see." The store's owner, Cinna, greeted him as he stepped up to the counter arms full of paints.

"Yeah, haven't had much time to paint lately." Peeta offered, not feeling conversational.

"Hey Cinna, do you have any more fixer? I couldn't find any back there."

Peeta turned when he heard a familiar voice nearby. His stomach made a quick flip flop once Katniss came in to view. She stopped short looking like she'd seen a ghost as her eyes met his.

"What are you doing here?" She asked looking at Peeta.

"Ran out of paint." Peeta offered simply.

"You two know each other?" Cinna queried.

"Yes" They both replied at the same time, their eyes not leaving one another.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asked, as he stepped closer to her.

"I had some film to develop. Cinna lets me use his dark room." She replied.

"Katniss has been a loyal customer for years." Cinna offered for her. "Just like you." He remarked to Peeta as he disappeared into a nearby back room.

Peeta wondered then just how often their paths had crossed and if he had really been so oblivious not to notice. "Do you mind if I take a look?" He asked her.

She shrugged nonchalantly as Cinna came out from behind the counter and handed her a jug of chemicals.

"Don't be modest, you should show him." Cinna urged. Peeta caught the blush that rose to Katniss' cheeks. "Katniss rarely shows anyone her work. I keep telling her she needs to submit her stuff to the spring art contest City Hall hosts every year. Maybe you can convince her?" Cinna finished, giving her a wink and heading back for the counter.

Katniss shot Cinna a threatening look, before turning her gaze to Peeta. "Fine. You can come take a look." She said sounding exasperated.

Katniss lead him to the back of the store whizzing past aisles stuffed floor-to-ceiling with bolts of fabric, endless bins of yarn, oversized canvases, camera equipment, and more. Peeta felt like he was on an adventure, having never journeyed past the front of the store; feeling overwhelmed by its size and contents. Peeta matched her pace until she slowed to a stop, allowing him the opportunity to gaze at the dozens of photographs that were hung on the wall surrounding a metal door.

"Are these yours?" He asked, feeling awestruck by what he was seeing.

"Not all of them." She said with a shrug as she gazed at the pictures herself. "Some are my dad's".

Peeta glanced at her as she cleared her throat, suddenly curious to learn more about her history here. She opened the door in front of them, motioning for Peeta to enter the closet-sized room that it lead to. They were bathed in sudden darkness as Katniss followed him in, letting the door shut behind her with a loud thud.

"Katniss?" Peeta whispered, feeling claustrophobic with the lack of light in such close quarters.

"Why are you whispering?" She asked back.

"Is this it?" He wondered, voice still low, curious if there was more to her dark room than this.

He heard her snort as she apparently flipped a switch, casting an amber hue over the small room. "No, this is not it." She smirked. "This way." She supplied as she slid open a second door.

Peeta glanced around as he stepped carefully in to the new room. A radio quietly played classical music from one corner, the sound of running water came from another. He noticed several large black machines set up on tables. Clothesline hung from one end of the room to the other, photographs clipped here and there along the string. Peeta noticed Katniss filling a tray with the chemicals Cinna had given her. It sat among a row of other trays, within a larger tub, that was the source of the running water he had heard.

"What is all this?" He whispered, stepping closer to her, still glancing around.

"You don't have to whisper, Peeta. We aren't in a library." Katniss replied giving him a look as she set the container down on the floor.

"Oh, right." Peeta said, clearing his throat. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he watched her bend over one of the trays in the larger tub, poking at it with a pair of tongs. "So, what do you do?" He asked after a moment.

She stood to consider him for a moment. "Well, first you have to develop the film." She began. He watched as she took several steps over to a small table, pulling a strip of film from it to show him. "Then you pick the image you want to develop, use the enlarger to burn the image on the paper, and develop it." She said quickly, motioning here and there around the room.

"Uh huh." Peeta said, feeling dumbfounded. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling out of place in this new world.

"Come here, I'll show you." Katniss replied, perhaps sensing his discomfort.

She motioned him over to her side in front of the large black machine she called an enlarger. Peeta couldn't help but breathe her in being in such close proximity. He had to quickly remind himself that they were working on being friends right now.

"Here, pick one." She said offering him the strip of film she held in her hands.

He held the strip up toward the ceiling, struggling to discern an image in the dim amber light. After a moment, he silently offered one to her, and watched as she set it up on the machine as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She was nimble and adept, and seeing her in her element was the single most sexy thing he had ever witnessed.

"Katniss?" He whispered, leaning closely beside her.

"Yes?" She whispered back, turning her face, mere inches from his own.

His stomach tightened as he fought to remain in control; remain in the friend zone. "Could you explain 'friends' to me?" He said, swallowing hard, trying with all his might not to stare at her lips.

"I don't know," she shrugged, and straighten beside him. "I've never been very good at friends."

He stood to meet her gaze, feeling that sudden heat between them that had ignited the night before. "That's ok, I'm not either." He replied just before he grabbed the back of her head pulling her lips to his.

He felt her arms wrap around his neck as she stood on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss between them. Peeta's hands roamed down the sides of her body, landing on her hips. He tugged her closer to him, leaving no space between them and drove her backwards until they hit a solid surface. They both grunted from the pressure of the sudden force, but remained unfazed. Her fingertips played with the hem of his shirt, grazing sneakily over his stomach, causing him to pull back and give a breathy laugh. She pressed a smiling kiss on his lips just before his mouth pulled away again to tend to her jawline and the warm flesh of her neck.

"Ok, ok." She coaxed as she rested her hands on his chest, pushing him away just enough to break contact.

Their breathing was ragged as they stared at each other in the near dark. After a moment, Peeta reached to twist his fingers around the hair at the bottom of Katniss' braid. She glanced down at his hand, then back up to his eyes.

"Listen," She started, and grabbed his hand from her hair, holding it in her own. "I know I said I wasn't good at friends, but I do know that what we just did was not a friend thing."

He gave her hand a squeeze, "Did you know that polar bears are left handed?" Peeta offered finally, feeling at a loss for what to say, but wanting to say so much more at the same time.

Katniss gave him a perplexed look just before she burst out laughing. "No I did not know that." She said as her laughter died down.

Peeta liked making her laugh, especially when it was good enough to wrinkle her nose. "Will you go out with me this Wednesday? Like a do-over?" He asked, hoping that breaking the tension between them would persuade her some.

Katniss looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. She crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to scrutinize him. "Ok." She finally relinquished, squinting her eyes to glare at him suspiciously.

"Ok" He said with a final nod of his head, feeling relief wash over him. "Now can you please finish explaining this whole crazy process?" He asked feigning exasperation, motioning at the contents of her lab.

Katniss gave him a smirk and rolled her eyes, while Peeta did his best to remain on his best behavior as he settled in to an afternoon with his new friend.


	9. Chapter 9

"You did what!?" Johanna's voice went off like a bomb in the meditative quiet of the yoga studio.

Katniss shot her a warning look.

"Let's remember this is a place to recenter our focus and quiet our minds." The yoga instructor passively chastised as she walked between Johanna and Katniss' mats.

The two women glanced at each other, faces flush from holding their downward facing dog position, both suppressing a chuckle. Johanna was not quite so successful.

"It was totally innocent." Katniss whispered to Johanna once she was sure the instructor was out of earshot. Her friend gave her a look. "Ok. Mostly innocent." Katniss corrected, knowing that the other woman knew her well enough to know she was withholding the truth.

"I don't believe you! Weren't you just telling me what a jerk that guy is?" Johanna asked as the two folded into their next pose.

"Maybe I was wrong." Katniss offered with a shrug. "I mean, I'm not saying he's perfect, but the more I get to know him, the less of a jerk he is."

"I'd be careful if I were you. It's always the unassuming ones that are like snakes in the grass. Maybe he's just trying to seduce you so he can earn your trust and snatch your account out from under you!" Johanna offered as the other yogis shot her annoyed looks.

"You've been watching Soap Operas again, haven't you?" Katniss whispered with a smirk as they all moved in to their next pose.

"Irrelevant." Johanna replied flippantly. "I'm just seeing the bigger picture here. I'm trying to protect my best friend. You're welcome!" She said with a huff and closed her eyes, pretending to focus.

Katniss rolled her eyes, wondering if Johanna was right about any of it. She rationalized that since Peeta had been the one to give the Crane account over to her there didn't seem to be anything backhanded or conspiratorial going on at all, even though her response at the time had been less than gratuitous.

"Is he a good kisser at least?" Johanna asked after a long moment of silence.

Katniss turned her head, opening an eye to peak at Johanna. Johanna turned her head and peaked at Katniss just the same. A bashful smile coaxed it's way onto Katniss' face. Johanna closed her eye and turned back to her pose looking smug.

"He asked me out again this Wednesday." Katniss admitted as the women rolled their mats and walked out at the end of class.

"And?"

"And I told him yes." Katniss admitted as they saddled up to the nearby drink counter. Johanna shot her a look before ordering some green concoction off the menu for the two of them.

"You're falling for him, aren't you?" She asked finally.

"Why would you say that? Because I agreed to see him again? I'm giving him a chance. We're working on being friends." Katniss protested defensively.

"Friends?" Johanna chortled. "You are no good at being friends."

"That's what I said! And then he said he wasn't either, and then we started making out right there in my dark room!" Katniss recounted breathlessly.

She and Johanna each took a sip of their drink, "This is terrible!" Katniss managed to choke out.

Johanna pulled a disgusted face, swallowing hard. "This is terrible," she agreed. "Let's go get a burger. I feel like we earned it" She suggested, getting down from her perch.

Katniss gave her a nod and followed her to a nearby diner.

"Ok, now back up. You let this guy in your dark room?" Johanna mentioned suggestively as the two sat down.

"Why does everything you say have to sound so…dirty?"

"It's a gift." Johanna replied with a shrug.

"Well, we randomly ran into each other at Cinna's. He asked to see my work and I agreed. I mean, it was actually really nice to spend the afternoon together. I showed him how to develop pictures. He was pretty horrible at it, but I think we got one good one after about an hour."

"First of all, you are so boring." Johanna accused. Katniss gave her a tired look in return. "You have a hot guy alone with you in the dark and all you do is develop pictures? You're sure he wants to see you again?"

Katniss felt a blush filling her cheeks as the two ordered. "I never said he was hot." Katniss replied petulantly.

Johanna gave her a knowing look.

"Ok, he's totally hot." Katniss agreed. "What was I supposed to do, jump his bones?"

Johanna maintained her look, doing little more than quirking her eyebrow. Katniss huffed at her in response. "You are so totally falling for this guy!"

"I am not! We're working on being-"

"Friends." Johanna finished her sentence with a roll of her eyes. "Right."

Katniss quickly changed the subject after that, not wanting to deal with any further scrutiny. Although now she found her mind wandering into dangerous territory about a man she was still desperately trying to figure out.

* * *

To: Katniss

Subject: Wednesday

Hey,

So there's this exhibit I've been wanting to check out. Would you be willing to meet me at the art museum this Wednesday?

Peeta

* * *

To: Peeta

From: Katniss

Subject: Re: Wednesday

Hi,

Sounds great. Why are you emailing me? You're literally two cubicles away.

Katniss

P.S. Muffins in the staff lounge = divine. Get one before they're gone!

* * *

To: Katniss

From: Peeta

Subject: Re: re: Wednesday

Thanks! I was trying a new recipe… Wasn't sure if anyone would like them. Glad you're a fan.

Peeta

P.S. Let's meet at 7 on Wednesday

* * *

To: Peeta

From: Katniss

Subject: Re: re: re: Wednesday

You, sir, are my new best friend ;)

Katniss

P.S. Sounds good!

* * *

To: Katniss

From: Peeta

Subject: Re: re: re: re: Wednesday

Is that all it took?!

Peeta

P.S. Looking forward to it!

* * *

Katniss fiddled with the fabric of her skirt as she and Peeta walked around the gallery slowly, taking in the different pieces. Suddenly, her conversation with Johanna from earlier in the week came flooding back to her mind.

"Can I tell you something weird?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I told you about polar bears being left handed, I definitely think it's your turn." Peeta mused as he turned to glance at her.

"Ok, promise not to think I'm totally insane?" She asked. Peeta folded his arms over his chest, waiting. "So I have this running list in my head of things that I want to do in my life," Katniss began, looking bashful. "And one of those things is to touch a famous piece of art." She pressed her fingertips to her lips giving Peeta an uncertain look.

He chuckled. "So, do it!" He pressed her.

"I can't! What if I get in trouble?" She said, a nervous excitement taking over her body. She gripped Peeta's wrists quickly, looking at him wide-eyed. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest at the idea.

"Hey, this is your list. I'm just here to support you in the uprising." Peeta said nonchalantly, a smile playing at his lips while turning to look at the artwork nearby.

"Ok, pick one. I'm going to do it." Katniss said finally in a low whisper, looking around cautiously. She was determined to prove to herself (and Johanna) that she was not so boring after all.

Peeta gazed around the room for a moment, considering her proposition. "That one." He said, nodding in the direction of a large oil painting hanging on the other side of the gallery.

"Alright." Katniss replied taking a deep breath. "Be ready to run." She warned.

Peeta chuckled, "Katniss, they're not going to chase you out of her. Just be cool, and no one will notice." He coached her.

It felt like every nerve in her body was tingling on high alert. She enjoyed the feeling of rebellion that had sparked within her. She normally liked to live quietly and not rock the boat, but something about being around Peeta made her feel alive and adventurous. Even if that meant doing something as silly as touching a little part of a painting.

"Here I go." She whispered to herself, and began casually walking toward the art in question. She stood near it for a moment to consider the beauty of its brush strokes and technique. As she leaned in for a closer look, she reached out her finger making quick contact with the canvas in an inconspicuous corner.

"What are you doing?" A voice whispered harshly behind her causing her to jump.

She turned around suddenly, ready to make a run for it. Instead she found herself slamming into something soft and sturdy. Realizing quickly who it was, she buried her face in her hands; embarrassed. Katniss pressed herself into Peeta's chest as she felt his strong arms wrap around her protectively, feeling his body shake with a quiet breathy chuckle.

"You scared the crap out of me!" She chastised, giving him a playful shove feeling her pulse slowly return to normal.

"I couldn't help it!" Peeta defended, trying to suppress his laughter. "You looked so cute trying to be defiant."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Well I did it, didn't I?" She remarked stubbornly.

"Yes, you did!" Peeta replied, coming alongside her. He threw his arm casually over her shoulder, ushering them out of the room. "I think that kind of bravery deserves some dinner."

Katniss turned to glance up at him, slipping her arm around his middle. He smiled down at her and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Maybe you can tell me some of the other things that made your list." He remarked, as they made their way out to the bustling city street.


	10. Chapter 10

Katniss Everdeen was full of surprises. Peeta found himself becoming further captivated by her the more time they spent together. Not only was she intelligent and funny, but she was beautiful, kind and genuine. He was sorry that he had wasted so many years playing the fool. As they sat through dinner that night after the museum, he marveled at her passion and interest in everything life had to offer.

"So, let me get this straight. You're telling me you want to get a tattoo?" He asked, his tone unintentionally heavy with disbelief at the news.

"What's so wrong with that?" She argued.

"Nothing." He said throwing his hands up in innocence. "Just surprising is all."

"Why, because you don't think I'm cool enough for one? You think I can't handle a little pain?" She said giving him a challenging look.

"It's not that. I just figured that a woman like you wouldn't be interested in a tattoo is all." He replied, thinking about how straight-laced and serious she appeared to be.

Katniss sat back for a moment and gazed at him thoughtfully from across the table, seeming to decide whether to question him further. Leaning forward again and resting her chin in her hand while wiggling her eyebrows playfully she replied, "What about you?"

"I don't want a tattoo!" He said emphatically, making her laugh. He really liked making her laugh.

"Ok, maybe not a tattoo, but there's got to be stuff that you want to do with your life. Adventurous things."

"I guess so." He replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Katniss eyed him suspiciously. "So, spill! What tops Peeta Mellark's must-do list?"

Peeta hesitated for a moment before admitting, "You'll probably think it's stupid, but I want to make every recipe in this one cookbook I have."

"I think I can definitely help you make that happen!" Katniss offered emphatically. "I mean, you'll need someone to test everything out, see if it's good." She continued, trying to play off her overt interest.

"Right. Naturally." Peeta replied playing along nonchalantly. "There's something like 300 recipes in this thing, so I'd have to get started."

Katniss raised her eyebrows looking surprised. "Totally not a big deal!" She teasingly brushed off.

"So, would this 'someone' you mentioned be interested in trying out a recipe this Friday?" Peeta tested the waters casually.

Katniss eyed him thoughtfully for a long moment. He was ready to retract his question, wondering if he had gone too far too soon.

"What's so special about this cookbook anyway?" Katniss pressed back without giving him an answer. "Is it all weird stuff like lamb brains and monkey chins with a side of greens, or what?" She asked, taking a sip of her wine.

Peeta chuckled, "The monkey chin wasn't all that great. I think you'd be surprised by the pig tail though. It was unexpectedly robust." He teased back, straight faced.

Katniss grimaced. "For real, though. What's the story? There has to be something about this book. How'd it make your must-do list?" She pressed.

"It was my grandfather's." Peeta began. "I used to help him around the kitchen a lot when I was a kid. We would bake and cook all the time. I made my fair share of the recipes from the book with him over the years. He was always patient with me, even though I usually made a mess of things. My Gramps was a really cool guy." He finished thoughtfully.

Peeta watched as a soft look crossed Katniss' face before she cleared her throat shifting in her seat.

"Ok then. Seeing as how you recently assisted in helping me to achieve one of my life goals, I will graciously assist you in yours." She said looking smug.

"You'll allow it, huh?" He smirked.

"I'll allow it." She replied as she raised her glass to him.

They smiled at one another as they clinked their glasses. Peeta wondered hopefully if this could finally be the start of something great.

That thought quickly fizzled, however, as he walked in to work the next day. Stepping off the elevator, he was pulled from his memories of the night before by the raucous laughter coming from the boardroom. As he neared the source of the sound, he found Plutarch standing alongside an unfamiliar man.

The stranger was tall, perhaps in his late thirties, with dark rugged features; looking more like a rancher than a businessman. The only thing he was missing was the cowboy getup instead of the suit he wore. Peeta wondered if he was a potential client. Whoever he was, he seemed to be commanding everyone's attention with some story he was animatedly recounting. What really caught Peeta off guard about the scene was the way Katniss seemed to be reacting to him. While she was normally poised and polished with possible clients, this one seemed to practically make her giddy. In fact, Peeta watched on as the man unexpectedly scooped Katniss into a hug. Instead of being horrified and upset like he figured she would be, Peeta felt irked as his heart sank, noticing her broad smile and chummy demeanor. At this point he tried his best to sneak past to his desk, not wanting to witness any more of the vexing performance. Unfortunately, his movements caught Katniss' eye and she motioned him over eagerly. He plastered a smile on his face, hoping he appeared friendly.

"Peeta! So glad you're here!" Plutarch greeted him jovially giving his shoulder a hearty slap as he drew near. Peeta grunted from the force of the contact, needing to catch his footing.

He wondered why everyone seemed so happy, and he was so not.

"This is Mr. Bovidae." Plutarch said introducing the man to his side. "He's Mr. Crane's right-hand man."

"Please, it's Dalton. If we're going to be working together, we might as well be on a first name basis, huh?" The man chortled as they shook hands.

"Do you two know each other?" Peeta asked motioning between Dalton and Katniss.

His stomach clenched as Katniss stared admiringly at Dalton. "We went to school together," she began. "Dalton was the main reason I even finished the program. He was like the big brother I never had." She said, squeezing Dalton's arm with a smile.

"Yeah, when I saw Kat's name on this project, I knew I had to get over here to see how things were going." Dalton replied, smiling back at her.

Peeta fought hard not to roll his eyes at the two. Their palpable chemistry irritated him a little more than he thought maybe it should.

"So far so good!" Peeta offered, giving a forced chuckle.

Katniss eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah, Peeta and I are making great progress. Would you like to see?" She offered to Dalton.

"Absolutely! Lead the way!" He said, motioning for Katniss to move ahead.

Peeta didn't miss the way Dalton's hand fell to the small of Katniss' back as they walked, or the way she didn't seem to mind. He tried to reign in his feelings, attempting to keep his mood professional and his jealousy at bay.

"I need a drink." He texted Finnick as he lagged behind.

"One of those days, huh? What's up?"

"Work stuff." Peeta replied not wanting to bother his friend with his petty feelings.

"Peeta, are you coming?" He heard Katniss call. He looked up to see her eyeing him expectantly. Man, she looked good today.

"Yeah, just a minute!" He called back, trying to think quickly of some way he could avoid being around Katniss and the cowboy.

Coming up short on ideas, he trudged over to where she and Dalton were already looking over what they had done on the project. Dalton was a harsh critic which only furthered Peeta's growing disdain. The final straw came when Peeta watched the man place his hand on Katniss' shoulder, leaning in nearly cheek-to-cheek with her to look at the computer screen.

"Ok!" Peeta practically shouted.

The two startled, turning to look at him curiously.

"I uh…I have to go…answer some emails." Peeta lied as he backed away. He nodded giving Katniss a tight smile before he turned to head to his desk.

"How are those emails coming?" Katniss' voice teased.

Peeta had been searching the internet aimlessly for the better part of an hour. He was pretty sure he now knew more useless trivia than the average person.

"Great! Really gettin' some good stuff typed here." Peeta replied turning to glance at her over his shoulder. He clicked around haphazardly with his mouse, then plucked away on his keyboard to make it look like he was hard at work.

"Hey, that's the photo we developed together." He heard her say as he felt her draw near to his side.

"Yeah, I kinda liked it." He replied nonchalantly giving a shrug.

Katniss leaned over to touch the edge of the photo. Catching his eye, she gave him a sweet smile. The memories of that day flooded back to him. He averted his eyes back to his screen, pretending once again to be engrossed in his work; not returning her smile. She sighed and straightened beside him.

"Were you hungry? I was going to grab some lunch." She offered.

"You wouldn't rather go with Dalton?" He muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"I said, no thanks. Lots to do after what Mr. Bovidae said about our project." He said straightening in his chair.

"Ok. I guess I'll talk to you when I get back. We can discuss our next steps."

Peeta caught what he thought was the sound of disappointment in Katniss' voice. He felt a tug at his heart, his mind racing to think of a way to take back what was surely a stupid move. Had Katniss just asked him out?

"Maybe wishful thinking will always be my downfall." He thought to himself as he turned in his chair and watched her walk away.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Whew! Here's the last of it! I hope you enjoyed :)

* * *

Katniss was more than a little surprised when she walked into work the next morning to find a small white envelope laying on her computer keyboard. She glanced around the near-empty office scanning for the possible sender. She picked up the small orange flower that accompanied it, twisted it between her fingers and brought it briefly to her nose. She reached for the envelope noticing her name scrawled across the front in Peeta's familiar, smooth, writing. Turning it over in her hands, she lifted the flap to discover a simple note inside. It read:

Katniss,

I'm sorry for being weird yesterday. I was being stupid. Forgive me?

-Peeta

P.S. dinner tonight at 7?

Katniss felt a smile tug at her lips as she glanced around again for any sign of Peeta. She considered the note a moment longer before setting it back on her desk and heading to the break room for some water for her blossom. She wasn't sure what was up with Peeta, or what prompted the note. But when she considered his behavior from the day before, he had been noticeably different. If she didn't know better, she would've thought him jealous over the sudden appearance of Dalton. But that was ridiculous to even consider since the two of them were just friends, right?

Although, she definitely felt a peculiar pulling at her heart when he blew off her lunch invitation. She grew more than a little concerned when he mentioned in passing that he had a headache (that would explain why he was acting so distant and short with her). She also thought a little too long about his leaving early for the day, saying something about meeting with Finnick, Annie, and the kids for dinner. In the past she couldn't have cared less about Peeta or his feelings, but the more she got to know him and spend time with him, the more that began to change.

She was lost deeply in her thoughts when Peeta's voice filled the quiet space, causing her to startle.

"I see you got my note." He said, nodding toward the flower she held in her hand.

"I'm beginning to think you like scaring me!" She chastised, heart beating wildly, as she filled a small glass with water.

"Yes, I got your note." Katniss continued, a smile playing on her lips as she set the bud inside. "You're allowed to have bad days. You feeling better?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before turning to lean back on the counter.

"Yeah, nothing a swift kick in the pants from Annie couldn't fix." He replied with a smirk as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katniss asked glancing at him suspiciously before she walked back toward her desk with Peeta following closely behind.

"I'll tell you later." He replied, waving it off. "We still on for dinner tonight?"

"Definitely." She replied as she sat down at her desk and settled the flower beside her computer.

"Great!" Peeta said with a clap of his hands.

Katniss shot him a smile, glad for the change in his mood. Once Peeta had walked away, she grabbed her phone and eagerly texted a picture of the flower to Johanna. Her friend's reply was swift:

"Will you just sleep with the poor guy already?!"

Katniss scoffed and rolled her eyes before replying,

"It's not like that! He was only apologizing for blowing me off yesterday."

"Jealous." Was all Johanna replied.

"I doubt it! It was nothing, just a bad day."

"And that's why you're still single!"

"?"

"Oh darling, go buy a brain! He. Likes. You. You like him. Simple. Stop over complicating things! And stop being so oblivious…it's not cute anymore."

Katniss rolled her eyes and set the phone down intent on ignoring her friend's jabs. Not one to leave well enough alone, Johanna's next texts pinged in quickly, one after the other. Katniss picked up her phone and read:

"He was jealous, acted like an ass and had enough maturity to admit it AND apologize?"

"Good luck finding many men like that!"

"And again… Stop. Over. Complicating. Everything. It's time to put on your big girl panties and have a real relationship already!"

"I love you, you enormously stubborn pain in the ass! Let me know how dinner goes tonight. Xox"

Katniss chuckled while setting her phone down again, knowing that Johanna's rant was over. She had made several valid points but there was work to be done now. Even though thoughts of having Peeta Mellark all to herself this evening made that near impossible.

Katniss ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at the bottom of her blouse, wondering if she had overdressed. She also questioned if the lace undergarments she'd opted for instead of her usual cotton was taking things a bit too far, or expecting too much too soon.

"Too late to turn back now!" thought Katniss, she had already knocked on his door signaling her arrival.

"Hey." Peeta offered simply as he opened the door, eyes surveying her. Katniss began feeling unnerved as his stare grew longer, an unreadable look upon his face.

"Can I come in?" She asked, peering over his shoulder curiously.

"Of course! Please!" Peeta said, seeming to break from his trance as he moved aside to let her in.

"Nice place." She remarked as she took in the sight of his apartment.

The inside of the home was simple. The layout was open, with one space leading seamlessly into another. The furniture and decor exuded warmth, comfort and manliness, but not so much that Katniss felt like she was in a dorm. She found her mind wandering dangerously as she assessed the home, curious to know what every room in his apartment looked like.

"You look really beautiful, Katniss." Peeta offered looking bashful.

"Thank you." She replied after a moment, coming out of her head.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling a heat rise to her cheeks as they stared at each other for a long moment before a chiming from the kitchen pulled Peeta's attention.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Make yourself comfortable." He announced, motioning toward the sofa in the other room as he stepped away to the stove.

Katniss wandered toward the living room gazing at the paintings on the wall, framed photographs adorned the tables that flanked the couch. She took a seat gingerly on the sofa, running her hand over its smooth brown leather and glanced briefly at the rough sketches drawn out on the pad of paper sitting on the coffee table in front of her.

"What did you want to drink?" Peeta asked drawing near.

"Whatever you're having." She replied giving him a smile.

"Beer it is!" He said with a snap of his fingers as he disappeared back to the kitchen, returning moments later with two bottles in hand.

"Are all of those yours?" Katniss asked, nodding toward the paintings on the wall beside them.

"Yep, all mine." He replied sitting down next to her and taking a swig of his drink. "Don't worry though, you're welcome to touch them." He said with a wink.

Katniss nudged him playfully in the side, taking a drink herself. They sat quietly for a moment while she eyed the art a moment longer.

"I think I'm falling for you." Peeta blurted out, catching her off guard.

She swallowed quickly causing herself to choke and sputter, trying to think of a way to respond.

"What?" She croaked trying to regain her composure.

"I'm falling for you, Katniss." Peeta admitted again gently.

Her mind was racing; stomach in knots. They had come so far in such a short time. Was it possible he really was falling for her?

"Are you sure?" She replied, instantly feeling stupid for asking such a question. "I mean…how do you know? What makes you think that?" She was floundering. Fast.

Peeta smirked, "I just do," he shrugged.

Another chime from the kitchen caught his attention. Katniss stood eagerly to follow him. She watched at his side as he pulled a dish from the oven, set it down and turned a series of knobs before removing his oven mitts.

"Listen, Katniss," Peeta said turning toward her, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "I don't think I can do this whole 'friends' thing with you. The more I think about it, the more I realize it's you. You're it for me. Even early on when I acted like a completely stupid jerk. I guess it was my way of getting your attention. Being near to you." He offered with a shrug.

"In the worst way possible." Katniss muttered under her breath, glancing to the side.

"Yes, in the worst way possible! I know!" He grabbed her hands in his looking her square in the eyes. "But I want you. I want to do this with you. I think about you all the time. I like being around you, talking with you, working with you." His voice rose with each admission.

"I'm tired of being alone, Katniss. I'm tired of being lonely…" He said quietly, trailing off.

They looked at each other for a long time while Katniss searched for the right response. She was terrible with the mushy stuff. Feelings and romanticism were never really her thing. Her mind reeled with several different ideas of words to say. It seemed, however, that none were forthcoming. After awhile Peeta looked expectantly at her and Katniss' mind froze completely.

"Say something." Peeta urged giving an awkward chuckle.

"Dinner smells amazing." Katniss offered meekly, going for the first idea that came mind.

Peeta heaved a sigh and turned to grab the dishes for dinner. Katniss felt her chest tighten. If words were not her strong suit, actions definitely were. Gathering her courage, she stepped closer to Peeta's side. He turned his head to eye her curiously just before she grabbed his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, feeling Peeta turning to face her. She felt his hands press against her back, bringing her closer to him and dug her fingers into his hair at the back of his neck, feeling his soft wavy locks on her skin. She allowed her hands to roam over his broad shoulders and down his arms.

Peeta pulled back after a moment and gave her a small smile before taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips so softly that Katniss wondered if they had made contact at all. She found herself eager to feel his mouth on hers again and pressed against him. Katniss felt relief when Peeta pressed back, a grunt coming from the back of his throat as he pushed her into the countertop.

"How about a tour?" Katniss asked pulling back breathlessly before diving back in to kiss Peeta.

Their hands roamed each others' bodies hungrily. While she was normally one to move painfully slow when it came to relationships, there was something about Peeta that ignited a fire in her. And right now there was only one thing she wanted to do slowly.

"Sure." Peeta replied with a quick nod before leaning down to kiss her neck.

"This is the ah-kitchen. Living room." He said with a quick glance around, motioning with his hand before tending to her neck again.

With his hands on her hips, he began to guide her backward down the short hallway. Leaving dinner behind and long forgotten.

"My studio." He choked out before a moan escaped his lips. Katniss smirked as she nibbled his earlobe, pleased with the reaction she had elicited.

"Bedroom." Peeta whispered pulling back once again, searching her eyes. Both stood breathless, foreheads against one another. Katniss' back pressed against the door.

"Thanks for showing me around." She replied biting her lip.

Reaching behind her back to search for the door's handle, she quickly found success. Peeta steadied the two of them as they spilled into the room.

"Peeta?" Katniss muttered.

Peeta gave her a noncommittal grunt and continued in his quest to kiss every inch of her neck, nibbling at her earlobe.

"Peeta!" She said more insistently.

"What?" He asked pausing from the action, a heavy-lidded expression on his face.

Katniss felt her stomach knot as she admitted, "I don't want to be friends either."

Peeta gave her a seductive smile as he dove in to kiss her lips, kicking the door shut behind them.


End file.
